The association between depression and AD is not new but a new article published in The American Journal of Psychiatry offers a look into one possible biological link between the two. Investigators found that amyloid beta 42 – a common subject of AD research and potential target for the pathogenesis of the disease – was significantly lower in the CSF of cognitively intact older adults with MDD. Although this was only a small scale study, this research suggests a pathophysiological link between the two disorders that could serve as the basis for further studies which could determine whether MDD patients also have greater amyloid beta plaque depositions or decreased soluble amyloid beta production in addition to potentially opening up new research into treatments for both diseases.
