Depression Treatment: Postpartum Depressive Symptoms: The B-Vitamin Link.
Postpartum depressive symptoms: the B-vitamin link.
Filed under: Depression Treatment
Ment Health Fam Med. 2012 Jan; 9(1): 5-13
Blunden CH, Inskip HM, Robinson SM, Cooper C, Godfrey KM, Kendrick TR
Objective This study examined longitudinal relationships between maternal red-cell folate status and dietary intakes of vitamins B(6), B(12) and folate before and during pregnancy and subsequent postpartum depressive symptoms.Study design and setting Within a cohort study of women aged 20-34 years (the Southampton Women’s Survey) dietary data were obtained before pregnancy and at 11 and 34 weeks’ gestation. Red-cell folate was measured before pregnancy and at 11 weeks’ gestation. We derived relative risks of postpartum depressive symptoms using an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score of ? 13 administered from 6 months to 1 year postpartum.Results No significant differences were found between those with postpartum depressive symptoms (n = 905) and those without (n = 1951) in relation to red-cell folate concentration or dietary intake of folate, vitamin B(12) and vitamin B(6), before or during pregnancy. A prior history of mental illness (relative risk (RR) 1.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.53-2.19) was associated with postpartum depressive symptoms, and women who breastfed until 6 months were less likely to experience postpartum depressive symptoms (RR 0.68; 95% CI 0.55-0.84).Conclusion This study suggests that folate status and dietary folate, B(6) and B(12) intakes before and during pregnancy are not associated with postpartum depressive symptoms. A history of mental illness, however, was a strong risk factor.
HubMed – depression
Structural neuroimaging of concomitant depressive symptoms in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a pilot study.
Filed under: Depression Treatment
Dement Geriatr Cogn Dis Extra. 2012 Jan; 2(1): 573-88
Morin JF, Mouiha A, Pietrantonio S, Duchesne S, Hudon C
Late-life depression (LLD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) can both denote prodromal Alzheimer’s disease. While the two concepts share common clinical features, differential diagnosis between them is crucial. The objective of this pilot study was to explore differences in terms of the hippocampal (HC) and entorhinal cortex (EC) volume reduction between LLD and aMCI patients with (aMCI/D+ group) or without (aMCI group) depressive symptoms. Six LLD, 6 aMCI, and 6 aMCI/D+ participants were assessed using a structural magnetic resonance imaging protocol. Manual segmentation of HC and EC was carried out. The results of volumetric comparisons suggest that the HC was larger in aMCI/D+ and LLD subjects compared to aMCI participants. The left EC mean volume was slightly lower in aMCI/D+ subjects. Power analyses revealed that 36 participants per group would suffice to confirm these findings. Overall, these pilot findings suggest that aMCI can be distinguished from LLD based on cerebral atrophy measures, and that HC and EC atrophy in aMCI varies according to the presence or absence of depressive symptoms.
HubMed – depression
Late-Life Depression, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia.
Filed under: Depression Treatment
Arch Neurol. 2012 Dec 31; 1-7
Richard E, Reitz C, Honig LH, Schupf N, Tang MX, Manly JJ, Mayeux R, Devanand D, Luchsinger JA
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of late-life depression with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in a multiethnic community cohort. DESIGN AND SETTING A cohort study was conducted in Northern Manhattan, New York, New York. PARTICIPANTS A total of 2160 community-dwelling Medicare recipients aged 65 years or older were included in the study. METHODS Depression was assessed using the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D) and defined by a CES-D score of 4 or more. We used logistic regression for cross-sectional association analyses and proportional hazards regression for longitudinal analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mild cognitive impairment dementia, and progression from MCI to dementia were the main outcome measures. We also used subcategories of MCI (amnestic and nonamnestic), and dementia (probable Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia, including possible Alzheimer disease with stroke). RESULTS Baseline depression was associated with prevalent MCI (odds ratio, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9) and dementia (2.2; 1.6-3.1). Baseline depression was associated with an increased risk of incident dementia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.3) but not with incident MCI (0.9; 0.7-1.2). Persons with MCI and coexisting depression at baseline had a higher risk of progression to dementia (HR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2-3.4), especially vascular dementia (4.3; 1.1-17.0), but not Alzheimer disease (1.9; 1.0-3.6). CONCLUSION The association of depression with prevalent MCI and with progression from MCI to dementia, but not with incident MCI, suggests that depression accompanies cognitive impairment but does not precede it.
HubMed – depression
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