title: Association of anxiety and depression with microtubule-associated protein 2- and synaptopodin-immunolabeled dendrite and spine densities in hippocampal CA3 of older humans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic psychological distress has deleterious effects on many of the body's physiological systems. In experimental animal models, chronic stress leads to neuroanatomic changes in the hippocampus, in particular a decrease in the length and branching of dendrites as well as a decrease in the number of dendritic spines.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether analogous distress-related neuroanatomic changes occur in humans and whether such changes might also be related to cognitive dysfunction observed in older people who report greater psychological distress.
  
  
  METHODS
  Postmortem study of brain tissues from participants of the Religious Orders Study, an ongoing population-based clinicopathological study of aging and cognition.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Rush University Religious Orders Study and the University of Pennsylvania Cellular and Molecular Neuropathology Program.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-two deceased participants of the Religious Orders Study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Densities of microtubule-associated protein 2-immunolabeled dendrites and synaptopodin-immunolabeled dendritic spines in the CA3 subfield of the hippocampus, quantified using semiautomated image acquisition and analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher levels of trait anxiety and longitudinal depression scores were associated with decreased densities of dendrites and spines in CA3. Dendrite and spine densities did not correlate with an index of global cognition or with densities of common age-related pathological changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Regressive neuronal changes occur in humans who experience greater psychological distress. These changes are analogous to neuronal changes in animal models of chronic stress.
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Neuropathology Program, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Ainie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soetanto
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Talbot
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Un
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sobiesk
authors.forename: Jeremiah
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leurgans
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Arnold
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D056654:CA3 Region, Hippocampal / Q000473:pathology*; D002410:Catholicism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology; D003712:Dendrites / Q000473:pathology; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000473:pathology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D012069:Religion and Psychology
chemical_list: D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins