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Late Life Depression is Not Associated With Alzheimer-Type Tau: Preliminary Evidence From a Next-Generation Tau Ligand PET-MR Study
Vande Casteele T, Laroy M, Van Cauwenberge M, Vanderlinden G, Vansteelandt K, Koole M, Dupont P, Van Den Bossche M et al.. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 2024-07-18
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objective To investigate whether tau accumulation is higher in late life depression (LLD) compared to non-depressed cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults. To situate these findings in the neurodegeneration model of LLD by assessing group differences in tau and grey matter volume (GMV) between LLD, non-depressed CU and mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's Disease (MCI). Design Monocentric, cross-sectional study. Setting University Psychiatric hospital, memory clinic and outpatient neurology practice. Participants A total of 102 adults over age 60, of whom 19 currently depressed participants with LLD, 19 with MCI and 36 non-depressed CU participants completed neuropsychological testing and tau PET-MR imaging. Measurements PET-MRI: 18F-MK-6240 tracer SUVR for tau assessment; 3D T1-weighted structural MRI derived GMV in seven brain regions (temporal, cingulate, prefrontal and parietal regions); amyloid PET to assess amyloid positivity; Neuropsychological test scores: MMSE, RAVLT, GDS, MADRS. ANCOVA and Spearman's rank correlations to investigate group differences in tau and GMV, and correlations with neuropsychological test scores respectively. Results Compared to non-depressed CU participants, LLD patients showed lower GMV in temporal and anterior cingulate regions but similar tau accumulation and amyloid positivity rate. In contrast, MCI patients had significantly higher tau accumulation in all regions. Tau did not correlate with any neuropsychological test scores in LLD. Conclusion Our findings suggest AD-type tau is not higher in LLD compared to non-depressed, cognitively unimpaired older adults and appears unlikely to contribute to lower gray matter volume in LLD, further underscoring the need to distinguish major depressive disorder from depressive symptoms occurring in early AD.
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APA 7th
Vande Casteele, T., Laroy, M., Van Cauwenberge, M., Vanderlinden, G., Vansteelandt, K., Koole, M., et al. (2025). Late Life Depression is Not Associated With Alzheimer-Type Tau: Preliminary Evidence From a Next-Generation Tau Ligand PET-MR Study. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2024.07.005
Vancouver
Vande Casteele T, Laroy M, Van Cauwenberge M, Vanderlinden G, Vansteelandt K, Koole M, et al. Late Life Depression is Not Associated With Alzheimer-Type Tau: Preliminary Evidence From a Next-Generation Tau Ligand PET-MR Study. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2024.07.005. PMID: 39107144.
BibTeX
@article{vandecasteele2025-39107144,
author = {Vande Casteele, T. and Laroy, M. and Van Cauwenberge, M. and Vanderlinden, G. and Vansteelandt, K. and Koole, M. and Dupont, P. and Van Den Bossche, M. and others},
title = {{Late Life Depression is Not Associated With Alzheimer-Type Tau: Preliminary Evidence From a Next-Generation Tau Ligand PET-MR Study}},
journal = {The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.jagp.2024.07.005},
pmid = {39107144},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2024.07.005}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Objective To investigate whether tau accumulation is higher in late life depression (LLD) compared to non-depressed cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults.
- To situate these findings in the neurodegeneration model of LLD by assessing group differences in tau and grey matter volume (GMV) between LLD, non-depressed CU and mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's Disease (MCI).
- Results Compared to non-depressed CU participants, LLD patients showed lower GMV in temporal and anterior cingulate regions but similar tau accumulation and amyloid positivity rate.
- In contrast, MCI patients had significantly higher tau accumulation in all regions.
- Conclusion Our findings suggest AD-type tau is not higher in LLD compared to non-depressed, cognitively unimpaired older adults and appears unlikely to contribute to lower gray matter volume in LLD, further underscoring the need to distinguish major depressive disorder from depressive symptoms occurring in early AD.
Why it matters
In this cross-sectional study of 102 adults over age 60, people with late life depression had lower grey matter volume in some regions but similar tau accumulation and amyloid positivity to non-depressed cognitively unimpaired people. This suggests late life depression is not associated with Alzheimer-type tau, but it does not test any treatment, cure or prevention.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants102
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: journal h-index 178 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 102 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 11 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 3.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 11 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Mathieu Vandenbulcke: h-index 61 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | KU Leuven: institution h-index 1,386 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39107144) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
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