title: Examination of glucose transporter-1, transforming growth factor-β and neuroglobin immunoreactivity in the orbitofrontal cortex in late-life depression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study immunohistochemically examined the orbitofrontal cortex for three possible candidates in hypoxic/ischemic signaling: the cytokine transforming growth factor-β, the glucose transporter-1 and the neuron-specific oxygen-binding protein neuroglobin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Post-mortem tissue from 20 depressed and 20 non-depressed individuals was obtained and the expression of the three proteins was analyzed using image analysis software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant changes were found in transforming growth factor-β or neuroglobin in the orbitofrontal cortex between depressed and non-depressed individuals. There was, however, a trend towards a reduction in glucose transporter-1 in the depressed group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study does not clearly support the hypothesis that hypoxic/ischemic processes are behind the pathological deficits in the frontal-subcortical circuitry associated with depression and therefore does not provide evidence to support the 'vascular depression' hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. ahmad.khundakar@ncl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khundakar
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Slade
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism*; D005914:Globins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078787:Neuroglobin; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D000078787:Neuroglobin; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D005914:Globins