Association of amyloid-beta with depression or depressive symptoms in older adults without dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Emma L Twait, Jen-Hao Wu, Maria Kamarioti, Maartje Basten, Wiesje M van der Flier, Lotte Gerritsen, Mirjam I Geerlings

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Several lines of evidence have indicated that depression might be a prodromal symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the cross-sectional association between amyloid-beta, one of the key pathologies defining AD, and depression or depressive symptoms in older adults without dementia. A systematic search in PubMed yielded 689 peer-reviewed articles. After full-text screening, nine CSF studies, 11 PET studies, and five plasma studies were included. No association between amyloid-beta and depression or depressive symptoms were found using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (0.15; 95% CI: -0.08; 0.37), positron emission topography (PET) (Cohen's d: 0.09; 95% CI: -0.05; 0.24), or plasma (-0.01; 95% CI: -0.23; 0.22). However, subgroup analyses revealed an association in plasma studies of individuals with cognitive impairment. A trend of an association was found in the studies using CSF and PET. This systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that depressive symptoms may be part of the prodromal stage of dementia.

Original languageEnglish
Article number25
Pages (from-to)25
JournalTranslational Psychiatry
Volume14
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2024

Keywords

  • Aged
  • Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides/cerebrospinal fluid
  • Biomarkers
  • Cognitive Dysfunction/diagnosis
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Depression
  • Humans
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid

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