title: Depression, antidepressants, and plasma amyloid beta (Beta) peptides in those elderly who do not have cardiovascular disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low plasma amyloid-beta peptide 42 (Abeta42) is associated with depressive symptoms independently of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the elderly. It is critical to investigate whether antidepressants modify this relationship.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 324 elders without CVD in a cross-sectional study. Depression was evaluated with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Antidepressants were documented. Plasma Abeta40 and Abeta42 were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the absence of CVD, those with depression had lower plasma Abeta42 (median: 13.7 vs. 18.8 pg/mL, p = .003) than those without. Depressed subjects on antidepressant treatment had a lower concentration of plasma Abeta40 (median: 97.8 vs. 133.5 pg/mL, p = .008), but not Abeta42, than those without the treatment. Multivariate logistic regression showed that antidepressant use did not influence the relationship between depression and low plasma Abeta42 (odds ratio = .55; 95% CI = .33, .90; p = .02) after adjusting for confounders, but its use interacted with plasma Abeta40 in the model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower concentration of plasma Abeta42 is associated with depression in the absence of CVD that is not related to the antidepressant use by those subjects. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether depression associated with low plasma Abeta42 predicts the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: D Mkaya
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Mwamburi
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bungay
authors.forename: Jasmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yee
authors.forename: Yu-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Timothy C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Summergrad
authors.forename: Marshal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Folstein
authors.forename: Wei Qiao
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Qiu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C078592:amyloid beta-protein (1-40); C075222:amyloid beta-protein (1-42)