“Depression has been associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in several studies. However, the mechanisms behind this association remain unclear.” This is what American scientists wrote A study recently published in the journal Biological Psychiatry. They carried out this work in order to examine the genetic relationship between depressive disorder and neurodegenerative pathology. For research purposes, the authors analyzed genetic differences in both depressed and Alzheimer’s patients. was their goal “To link genetic signals to specific DNA methylation sites, brain transcripts and proteins”.

7 brain proteins and 46 common copies

According to the findings, depression and Alzheimer’s disease have common genetic roots. The researchers also found that depression played a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, and that people with major depression perceive their memory to deteriorate more quickly. They also identified 28 proteins in the brain and 75 transcripts (messages that encode proteins) associated with depressive disorder. Of these, 46 transcripts and 7 proteins were associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

“This relationship raises the question of whether treating depression can reduce the risk of dementia. Here we have identified genes that may explain the relationship between depression and dementia, and deserve further study. These genes could constitute important therapeutic targets for both depression and dementia risk reduction. “, Thomas Wingo, co-author of the study, said: statment.