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Depression May Increase Risk of Alzheimer's in People With Mild Cognitive Impairment ST. PAUL, Minn -- June 15, 2009 -- People with memory problems who are depressed are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared with people who are not depressed, according to a study published in the June 16 issue of the journal Neurology. However, the research also shows that donepezil may delay the progression to Alzheimer’s disease for depressed people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). For the study, researchers followed 756 people with MCI who were aged 55 to 91 years for 3 years. Of those, 208 were diagnosed with depression using a test that measures the severity and intensity of a person’s depressive symptoms. For every 1 point increase on the test, a participant’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease went up by 3%. “Our longer term findings add to the body of evidence that suggests depression is a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease,” said study author Po H. Lu, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. “Since the drug donepezil has been shown to improve the behavioural symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, our study also tested whether the drug would delay the progression to Alzheimer’s disease in people with memory problems.” Participants were given either vitamin E, donepezil or a placebo pill. The study found that at 1.7 years, among depressed people with MCI, 11% of those taking donepezil developed Alzheimer’s disease compared with 25% of those who took vitamin E or placebo. At 2.2 years, 14% of those taking donepezil developed Alzheimer’s compared with 29% of those who took vitamin E or placebo. Donepezil had little effect in the group of people who were not depressed. “If we can delay the progression of this disease for even 2 years, it could significantly improve the quality of life for many people dealing with memory loss,” said Lu. SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version