The British Journal of Psychiatry (2007) 191: 212-217. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.036756
© 2007 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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White matter changes and late-life depressive symptoms

Longitudinal study

A. Teodorczuk, MRCPsych, J. T. O'brien, DM and M. J. Firbank, PhD

Institute for Ageing and Health, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

L. Pantoni, MD and A. Poggesi, MD

Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, University of Florence, Italy

T. Erkinjuntti, MD

Memory Research Unit, Department of Neurology, University of Helsinki, Finland

A. Wallin, MD

Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Gothenburg University, Sweden

L.-O. Wahlund, MD

Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden

A. Gouw, MD

Alzheimer Centre and Department of Neurology, VU University Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

G. Waldemar, MD

Memory Disorders Research Group, Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark

R. Schmidt, MD

Department of Neurology and MRI Institute, Medical University Graz, Austria

J. M. Ferro, MD

Serviço de Neurologia, Centro de Estudos Egas Moniz, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisboa, Portugal

H. Chabriat, MD

Department of Neurology, Hopital Lariboisiere, Paris, France

H. Bäzner, MD

Department of Neurology, University of Heidelberg, Universitätsklinikum Mannheim, Germany

D. Inzitari, MD

Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, University of Florence, Italy

the LADIS Group

Correspondence: Dr Teodorczuk, Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle General Hospital, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 6BE, UK. Email: andrew.teodorczuk{at}ncl.ac.uk

Declaration of interest None.

Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

Background Evidence from cross-sectional studies suggests a link between cerebral age-related white matter changes and depressive symptoms in older people, although the temporal association remains unclear.

Aims To investigate age-related white matter changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as an independent predictor of depressive symptoms at 1 year after controlling for known confounders.

Method In a pan-European multicentre study of 639 older adults without significant disability, MRI white matter changes and demographic and clinical variables, including cognitive scores, quality of life, disability and depressive symptoms, were assessed at baseline. Clinical assessments were repeated at 1 year.

Results Using logistic regression analysis, severity of white matter changes was shown to independently and significantly predict depressive symptoms at 1 year after controlling for baseline depressive symptoms, quality of life and worsening disability (P<0.01).

Conclusions White matter changes pre-date and are associated with the development of depressive symptoms. This has implications for treatment and prevention of depression in later life.


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