A longitudinal study of apolipoprotein-E genotype and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults.
The Apolipoprotein-E (APOE) epsilon 4 allele is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cognitive decline in older adults. Depression may also be a risk factor for dementia, and depression is important in the differential diagnosis of dementia. The authors performed a 5-year longitudinal study of APOE genotype and change in Geriatric Depression Scale scores in 113 community-dwelling older adults. No association was observed between APOE genotype and change in depressive symptoms. These results do not support the hypothesis that the APOE epsilon 4 allele is associated with depression. Important objections have been raised to APOE genotyping in the diagnosis of AD. However, the specificity of APOE genotyping in AD diagnosis would not appear to be compromised by an association with depression.
Mauricio
M
M
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5485, USA.
O'Hara
R
R
Yesavage
J A
JA
Friedman
L
L
Kraemer
H C
HC
Van De Water
M
M
Murphy
G M
GM
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D003071:Cognition; D003863:Depression / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012494:Sampling Studies
D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E