Alzheimer's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alzheimer's Disease, including details on diagnosis, memory loss, heredity, treatment, medication.

Increased cerebrospinal fluid cortisol level in Alzheimer's disease is not related to depression.

Hoogendijk WJ, Meynen G, Endert E, Hofman MA, Swaab DF

Research Institute Neurosciences, VU University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Valeriusplein 9, 1075 BG Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis hyperactivity is well established in a large proportion of both Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and idiopathic depression patients, resulting in, e.g. increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cortisol levels. We hypothesized that HPA-axis activity in depressed AD patients is even more increased than in non-depressed AD patients, resulting in higher CSF cortisol levels. Cortisol levels were measured in post mortem CSF of depressed and non-depressed AD patients and in controls. Cortisol levels in AD patients were more than double those of controls, while no significant differences were found between depressed and non-depressed AD patients. These results suggest a different pathogenetic mechanism in depression in AD than in idiopathic depression.

Published 18 April 2006 in Neurobiol Aging, 27(5): 780.e1-780.e2.
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