Depression and Alzheimer's disease: novel postmortem brain studies reveal a possible common mechanism.
The relationship between depression and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has always been relevant and controversial. Here, we briefly review epidemiological and biological studies that have investigated these disorders and then introduce our recent research about postmortem brains from patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Our novel methodological approaches have revealed that MDD may be associated with an unknown type of myelin/myelination abnormalities in the frontopolar cortex. Based mainly on our findings, as well as on neuropathological observations by Braak and Braak (Acta Neuropathol 9, 197-201, 1996), we discuss the possible existence of an as yet unknown common mechanism linking the pathophysiologies underlying both depression and AD.
Affective Disorders Research Team, Schizophrenia & Affective Disorders Research Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
Naomi
N
Nihonmatsu-Kikuchi
Yoshitaka
Y
Hayashi
Xiu-Jun
XJ
Yu
Yoshitaka
Y
Tatebayashi
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D003863:Depression / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D003933:Diagnosis; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
D005227:Fatty Acids