This study tests the hypothesis that depression in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is due to a specific pathogenesis rather than a reactive phenomenon. Forty-three AD patients received a psychiatrist's interview, neuropsychological assessments, and a 99mTc-hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime single photon emission computed tomography (HMPAO-SPECT). Analysis by statistical parametric mapping (SPM) showed that the depressed group had selective hypoperfusion in the bilateral anterior and posterior cingulate gyri and precuneus. Using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale as a parameter, an inverse correlation was found between cerebral perfusion and the severity of depression. The right anterior cingulate gyrus demonstrated a most significant reduction in perfusion. These locations are akin to the imaging findings in patients with primary depression, indicating a specific pathogenesis for depression in AD.
Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel