Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2012 Aug;14(4):273-9. doi: 10.1007/s11920-012-0279-6.
Late life depression (LLD) is an important area of research given the growing elderly population. The purpose of this review is to examine the available evidence for the biological basis of LLD. Structural neuroimaging shows specific gray matter structural changes in LLD as well as ischemic lesion burden via white matter hyperintensities. Similarly, specific neuropsychological deficits have been found in LLD. An inflammatory response is another possible underlying contributor to the pathophysiology of LLD. We review the available literature examining these multiple facets of LLD and how each may affect clinical outcome in the depressed elderly.
随着老年人口的增长，晚年抑郁症（LLD）是一个重要的研究领域。本综述的目的是探讨 LLD 的生物学基础的现有证据。结构神经影像学显示 LLD 存在特定的灰质结构变化以及通过白质高信号的缺血性病变负担。同样，LLD 也存在特定的神经心理学缺陷。炎症反应是 LLD 病理生理学的另一个潜在因素。我们回顾了现有的文献，探讨了 LLD 的这些多方面及其如何影响老年抑郁患者的临床预后。
