Posted by undopaminergic on April 18, 2008, at 5:41:31
In reply to depression prodromal for alzheimer's disease, posted by llurpsienoodle on April 17, 2008, at 10:26:42
> I was reading an article in the Psychiatric Times about how depression in the elderly is positively correlated with development of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
>And Parkinson's disease (PD), too. Depressive-like symptoms, such as anhedonia, social withdrawal and lack of motivation, may be noticed many years before the onset of motor symptoms (tremor, rigidity, etc.). If I recall correctly, about 80% of dopaminergic neurons will be destroyed by the time PD becomes evident.
This is particularly intesting for those of us who respond better to dopaminergic than serotonergic or noradrenergic medications...
> Also depression in the elderly is frequently accompanied by cognitive deficits. I know as a 27 year old, my depression was definitely accompanied by reduced attention and memory, as well as executive functioning - concentration and planning.
>Yes, I definitely noticed that too, and I was only 22 (now 30). Although I may have had ADD long before, it wasn't a really serious problem until after the onset of depression.
poster:undopaminergic
thread:823203
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080412/msgs/823965.html