The association of markers of cerebral small vessel disease and brain atrophy with incidence and course of depressive symptoms - the maastricht study

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders Vol. 292; pp. 439 - 447
• Main Authors: Geraets, Anouk FJ, Köhler, Sebastian, Jansen, Jacobus FA, Eussen, Simone JPM, Stehouwer, Coen DA, Schaper, Nicolaas C, Wesselius, Anke, Verhey, Frans RJ, Schram, Miranda T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-09-2021
• Subjects: Brain atrophy; Cerebral small vessel disease; Cohort studies; Depression; Depressive symptoms; Epidemiology; Depression; Depressive symptoms; Epidemiology; Cerebral small vessel disease; Brain atrophy; Cohort studies
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.05.096

•Larger WMH volume is associated with incident depression above the age of 60.•Larger WMH volume is associated with a chronic depression above the age of 60.•Total CSVD burden is associated with chronic depression regardless of age.•General brain atrophy markers are not associated with incident or chronic depression.•WMH volume may provide a prevention target for late-life depression.
Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and neurodegeneration may be involved in the development and persistence of late-life depressive symptoms, but longitudinal evidence is scarce. We investigated the longitudinal associations of markers of CSVD and brain atrophy with incident depressive symptoms and the course of depressive symptoms, above and below 60 years of age.
White matter hyperintensity volumes (WMH), presence of lacunar infarcts and cerebral microbleeds, and white matter, grey matter, and cerebral spinal fluid volumes were assessed at baseline by 3T MRI in The Maastricht Study (mean age 59.5±8.5 years, 49.6% women, n=4,347; 16,535 person-years of follow-up). Clinically relevant depressive symptoms (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire≥10) were assessed at baseline and annually over seven years. We used Cox regression and multinomial logistic regression analyses adjusted for demographic, cardiovascular, and lifestyle risk factors.
Above 60 years of age, larger WMH volumes were associated with an increased risk for incident depressive symptoms (HR[95%CI]:1.24[1.04;1.48] per SD) and a persistent course of depressive symptoms (OR:1.44[1.04;2.00] per SD). Total CSVD burden was associated with persistent depressive symptoms irrespective of age (adjusted OR:1.58[1.03;2.43]), while no associations were found for general markers of brain atrophy.
Our findings need replication in other large-scale population-based studies.
Our findings may suggest a temporal association of larger WMH volume with the incidence and persistence of late-life depression in the general population and may provide a potential target for the prevention of chronic late-life depression.