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Updated: May 12, 2026

Abbiategrasso Brain Bank Protocol for Collecting, Processing and Characterizing Aging Brains

Abbiategrasso Brain Bank Protocol for Collecting, Processing and Characterizing Aging Brains

Published on: June 3, 2020

Anticipated brain molecular aging in major depression.

Gaëlle Douillard-Guilloux¹, Jean-Philippe Guilloux, David A Lewis

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA.

The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry : Official Journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry

|April 11, 2013

Summary

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is linked to accelerated brain molecular aging. Gene expression changes in MDD mirror normal brain aging, suggesting an older brain age may predict MDD risk.

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Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

Published on: August 26, 2011

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Genetics
Psychiatry

Background:

Brain molecular aging involves consistent transcriptome changes during normal aging.
These aging pathways overlap with disease mechanisms and may precede neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders like major depressive disorder (MDD).
Previous research indicated downregulated brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and related genes in the amygdala of women with MDD.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the global interaction between MDD-related gene expression changes and aging.
To analyze age-related gene expression patterns in the amygdala of individuals with and without MDD.

Main Methods:

Analysis of a large-scale gene expression dataset from postmortem amygdala samples.
Cohort included 21 women with MDD and 21 age-matched controls (16-74 years).
Correlations between gene transcript changes and age were examined in the presence or absence of MDD.

Main Results:

Age-related decreases in BDNF and BDNF-dependent genes were more pronounced in MDD subjects compared to controls.
Most MDD-related genes were also age-regulated in control subjects, indicating shared aging effects.
MDD and aging effects on gene expression were positively correlated, with greater age effects observed in MDD.

Conclusions:

MDD is strongly associated with gene expression changes characteristic of normal brain aging.
An older molecular brain age appears to be an early biological event or risk marker for MDD.
These findings suggest that brain aging processes are intertwined with the pathophysiology of MDD.