Is later-life depression a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease or a prodromal symptom: a study using post-mortem human brain tissue?

Table 1 Clinical and demographic information for the 145 individuals who donated tissue used in this study

	Early life MDD (n = 28)		Later life MDD (n = 30)		Early life controls (n = 17)		Later life controls (n = 23)		AD controls (n = 19)		Early AD (n = 28)		Statistical evidence
	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	Statistical evidence
Age (y)	35.4	9.2	64.5	11.6	31.9	11.5	65.1	10.4	84.0	6.4	83.714	6.1	ANOVA p < 0.001
Gender
Male	19		19		16		14		18		11		Chi² test, p=0.218
Female	9		11		1		9		10		8		Chi² test, p=0.218
Pm delay (h)	48.3	18.3	57.6	27.1	34.1	20.0	56.9	28.0	55.3	22.4	42.9	29.5	Kruskal–Wallis p = 0.01
Cause of death
Suicide	28		30		0		0		0		0		Chi² test, p < 0.001
Accident	0		0		8		4		5		0
Natural causes	0		0		9		15		4		28
DSM Axis 1 Diagnosis
Nil	0		0		17		19		9		0		Chi² test, p < 0.001
Major depressive disorder	22		23		0		0		0		0
Depressive Disorder NOS	6		7		0		0		0		0
Dementia	0		0		0		0		0		28
DSM Axis 1 dependence
Nil	21		27		17		19		9		28		Chi² test, p = 0.158
Substance	6		3		0		0		0		0
Alcohol	1		0		0		0		0		0
Rx in last 3/12
Nil	15		9		17		14		6		0		Chi² test, p < 0.001
Antidepressant	0		6		0		2		0		0
Antipsychotic	0		0		0		0		1		0
Benzodiazepine	1		4		0		0		1		1
Mood stabiliser	1		1		0		0		0		0
Antidepressant + another class	11		10		0		0		0		0
Unknown	0		0		0		1		1		27
Braak stage (note high levels of missing data except in early AD group)							0.25	0.50	2.3	0.7	3.773	0.43	Chi² test p < 0.001

ISSN: 1758-9193