Molecular Senescence Is Associated With White Matter Microstructural Damage in Late-Life Depression.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Cellular Biology

Background:

• Late-life depression is associated with accelerated brain aging.
• White matter integrity is crucial for cognitive function in older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between white matter integrity and accelerated brain aging in late-life depression.
• To explore the relationship between senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) proteins and brain microstructure.

Main Methods:

• The study included 56 older adults with remitted late-life depression.
• Measures included SASP index proteins, cognitive performance, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of white matter microstructure.
• Fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity were used as DTI indices.

Main Results:

• Higher SASP index correlated with older age and worse executive function.
• After controlling for age, cognitive performance, and white matter hyperintensities, SASP remained associated with white matter mean diffusivity in the cingulate bundle.
• This suggests SASP is linked to microstructural white matter abnormalities.

Conclusions:

• SASP proteins are associated with white matter microstructural abnormalities in the brain in the context of late-life depression.
• These findings suggest a potential link between cellular senescence and accelerated brain aging in depression.
• SASP may be a biomarker for cognitive decline and white matter changes in older adults with depression.