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Cistanche is very good for Alzheimer's disease

Epidemiological data has long linked depression to Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive dementia that affects nearly 6 million Americans. The researchers found that depression played a causal role in AD development and that people with more severe depression experienced faster memory decline.

Now, a new study identifies common genetic factors in depression and AD. Importantly, the researchers found that depression played a causal role in AD development, and that people with more severe depression experienced faster memory decline. The research was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier.

The study was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry (latest impact factor: 13.382) on December 16, 2021

"It raises the possibility that there is an underlying cause of both diseases," said co-senior author Aliza Wingo, MD, of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, USA, of the study. Genes. While this shared genetic basis is small, the findings suggest a potential causal role for depression in dementia."

The authors conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS), a technique that scans the entire genome for regions of commonality associated with specific conditions. GWAS identified 28 brain proteins and 75 transcripts (messages encoding proteins) associated with depression. Of these, 46 transcripts and 7 proteins were also associated with AD symptoms. The data suggest that the two disorders share a common genetic basis, which may contribute to the increased risk of AD associated with depression.

While previous studies have also used GWAS to detect AD and depression, the current study is made more robust by using larger, more recently available datasets to reveal more detailed information.

Cistanche is very good for Alzheimer's disease

"This study sheds light on the genetic-level relationship between depression and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias," said co-senior author Thomas Wingo, MD, "which is important because it may at least partially explain depression. Established epidemiological association with increased risk of dementia."

Dr. A. Wingo added: "This relationship raises the question of whether treatment for depression can reduce the risk of developing dementia. Our identification of genes that may explain the relationship between depression and dementia warrants further progress. research. These genes may be important therapeutic targets for depression and reducing the risk of dementia."

"The cost of ineffective treatment of depression continues to rise. There is growing evidence that major depression increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease, but little is known about this relationship," said the editor of Biological Psychiatry. "Studies linking genetic risk mechanisms to molecular changes in the brain provide the clearest link to date, supporting the hypothesis that depression plays a causal role in Alzheimer's disease biology," said John Krystal, MD.

This does not mean that if a person suffers from depression, dementia is an inevitable outcome. Instead, it suggests that treatment-resistant depression may exacerbate the biology of Alzheimer's disease, potentially accelerating the onset of symptoms and increasing the rate of functional decline. "

Source： Elsevier

Depression and Alzheimer’s disease share genetic roots

Reference：

Nadia V. Harerimana, Yue Liu, Ekaterina S. Gerasimov, Duc Duong, Thomas G. Beach, Eric M. Reiman, Julie A. Schneider, Patricia Boyle, Adriana Lori, David A. Bennett, James J. Lah, Allan I. Levey, Nicholas T. Seyfried, Thomas S. Wingo, Aliza P. Wingo. Genetic Evidence Supporting a Causal Role of Depression in Alzheimer’s Disease. Biological Psychiatry, 2021; DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.11.025