[Late-life depression and subcortical ischemic white matter lesions]

Abstract

Late-life depression and cerebral ischemic white matter lesions. Interest in cerebrovascular disease as a risk factor for depression in the elderly has grown in the last few years. Some authors recently have proposed the concept of a 'vascular depression'. In this paper, which presents a selective review of the literature, it is argued that 'vascular depression' is not a nosological entity. However, it has been shown that cerebral white matter lesions, identified using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and thought to represent ischemic damage, are related to depression in the elderly. In particular, there is a correlation with late-onset depression. Moreover, these white matter lesions in depressed elderly adults are associated with cognitive impairment, and probably also with a relatively poor response to treatment.