Positron emission tomography research to explore the relationship between depression and dementia
Description: Depression occurs in over 10% of Canadians over their lives and is a major cause of disability. Dementia is the largest cause of disability among the elderly. People who have had episodes of depression throughout their lifetimes have a higher risk of developing dementia. A recent study from our lab showed that people with mild cognitive impairment, a condition that often progresses into dementia, who have also had episodes of depression, have more abnormal proteins called amyloid plaques in the brain. Amyloid plaques are one of two hallmark features of Alzheimer's dementia. The other is a preponderance of abnormally tangled proteins called tau. The available research does not adequately address the possibility that tau abnormalities may have a role in late life depression. Treatments targeting both amyloid and tau are being developed. Knowing which clinical and biological features predict who has amyloid and tau abnormalities may one day allow for earlier and more effective treatment.Amyloid and tau abnormalities can now be measured in living people using an imaging technique called positron emission tomography (PET). The burden of tau abnormalities can be assessed by analyzing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which bathes the brain and spine. A current clinical trial is collecting amyloid PET data and CSF-tau from individuals with depression and mild cognitive impairment whose clinical history has been described. I will be able to analyze these data to test the hypothesis that there is more amyloid in individuals with a history of multiple depressive episodes. I will be able to look specifically at areas in the brain associated with depression to see if there is more amyloid in these areas as compared to people who have not had depressive episodes.
Amount: CA$17,500
Funding type: fellowship
Funder scheme: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships
Start date: 2017-09-01
End date: 2018-08-31
Investigator: Eric Brown
Institution: University of Toronto
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Funded outputs count: 0
Funder award ID: 153813_1
OpenAlex ID: G174120542