Apolipoprotein-E and white-matter hyperintensities in late-life depression.
The authors conducted a follow-up study of 16 patients with late-life depression approximately 6 years after their initial assessment to evaluate the relationships between apolipoprotein-E (APO-E) status and white-matter hyperintensities (WMH). Ten patients had WMH at baseline, and four patients demonstrated an increase in WMH size over time. Three of four patients with the APO-E epsilon 4 allele demonstrated an increase in WMH over time, and only 1 of 12 patients without an epsilon 4 allele had an increase in WMH. Three of four patients with APO-E epsilon 4 allele developed a chronic course of major depression at follow-up. Patients with APO-E epsilon 4 had a higher number of depressive episodes and lower age at onset. APO-E may be a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease associated with late-life depression and may affect the clinical characteristics and disease course of depression.
Lavretsky
H
H
Department of Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Lesser
I M
IM
Wohl
M
M
Miller
B L
BL
Mehringer
C M
CM
Vinters
H V
HV
D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male
D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E