Depression is associated with low plasma Abeta42 independently of cardiovascular disease in the homebound elderly.

Background: Depression often precedes the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) before the appearance of cognitive symptoms. Plasma Amyloid-beta peptide 42 (Abeta42) declines before and soon after the onset of AD, yet the relationship between plasma Abeta42 and depression is unclear.

Methods: We used 515 homebound elders aged 60 and older in a population-based, cross-sectional study to investigate associations between plasma Abeta levels and depression with and without cardiovascular co-morbidities. Depression was evaluated by using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Plasma Abeta40 and Abeta42 were measured.

Results: The elderly with depression had lower plasma Abeta42 (median: 15.3 vs. 18.9, p = 0.008) than those without depression. The CES-D score was inversely associated with plasma Abeta42 (p = 0.001) in subjects with no cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, in the presence of CVD, this association did not exist. Low plasma Abeta42 (OR = 0.41, p = 0.007) and the presence of CVD (OR = 1.84, p = 0.005) were independently associated with depression after adjusting for the confounders of age, stroke and apolipoprotein E4.

Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are associated with low plasma Abeta42 independently of CVD. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether depression associated with low plasma Abeta42 is a separate depression subtype that could predict the onset of AD.