title: Carotid intima-media thickness in late-onset major depressive disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study explored whether patients with late-onset major depressive disorder showed higher carotid artery intima-medium thickness (IMT) and investigated the relationship between the IMT and white matter hyperintensities on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) among patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen elderly patients with late-onset major depressive disorder from a psychiatric outpatient clinic and 11 non-depressed controls received a comprehensive psychiatric assessment, ultrasound IMT measurements of the carotid arteries, and cerebral MRI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The carotid IMT was higher in the patient group vs the control group (1.26 +/- 0.30 vs 1.00 +/- 0.20 mm; t = 2.40, p < 0.03). The difference was more apparent in the common carotid artery (1.20 +/- 0.32 vs 0.97 +/- 0.13 mm; t = 2.31, p < 0.04). There was a high correlation (r = 0.55, p < 0.05) between the carotid IMT and white matter hyperintensities among patients with late-onset major depressive disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results of this study suggest that atherosclerosis represented by the carotid IMT contributes to the development of late-onset major depressive disorder. The findings support the vascular depression hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University, Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Sheng
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Cheng-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yu-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: I-Chan
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Chih-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Hsiu-Fen
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000473:pathology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology*; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology