Association Between Cerebral Microbleeds and Depression in the General Elderly Population: A Meta-Analysis

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Ruiming Wang1, Keqin Liu2, Xiaoyun Ye3

  • 1Department of Emergency, Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, China.

Frontiers in Psychiatry
|April 5, 2018
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are linked to a higher prevalence of depression in older adults. This meta-analysis supports the vascular depression hypothesis, suggesting a connection between brain changes and mood disorders.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Geriatrics
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • The association between cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and depression in the elderly general population is not well-established.
  • Cerebral microbleeds are small, asymptomatic hemorrhages in the brain's white matter and deep gray matter.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a meta-analysis evaluating the relationship between depression and the prevalence of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) in the elderly.
  • To determine if CMBs are a risk factor for depression in older adults.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic literature search was performed across major databases (EBSCO, PubMed, Web of Science).
  • Eligible studies assessing the link between depression and CMB prevalence were included in the meta-analysis.
  • Data from five studies involving 7,328 participants were pooled.

Main Results:

  • The overall prevalence of CMBs was 18.0% and depression was 11.1%.
  • The meta-analysis revealed an odds ratio of 1.187 (95% CI: 1.005-1.403; p=0.043) for CMBs in individuals with depression.
  • No statistical heterogeneity was observed among the included studies (I²=0.0%, p=0.621).

Conclusions:

  • This meta-analysis indicates a higher prevalence of depression in individuals with pre-existing cerebral microbleeds.
  • The findings lend support to the vascular depression hypothesis.
  • Further research is warranted to explore the role of CMBs in depression's development and progression, potentially identifying new therapeutic targets.
Keywords:
depressionmagnetic resonance imagingmeta-analysismicrobleedsprevalence

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