Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35177243›Full record

ArticleBiological psychiatry2022

Genetic Evidence Supporting a Causal Role of Depression in Alzheimer's Disease.

Nadia V Harerimana, Yue Liu, Ekaterina S Gerasimov, Duc Duong, Thomas G Beach, Eric M Reiman, Julie A Schneider, Patricia Boyle, Adriana Lori, David A Bennett and 5 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Biological psychiatry, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
44citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
7.1field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

44 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Review
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  6. Article
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  8. CSF proteome-wide study of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026
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  10. Observational
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  13. Genetic and Proteomic Investigation of the Smoking-Parkinson's Disease Association.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026
    Article
  14. Review
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  16. Article
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  18. The Emerging Role of the DDAH Proteins in Psychiatric Disorders.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2025
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Nadia V HarerimanaDepartment of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Yue LiuDepartment of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Ekaterina S GerasimovDepartment of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Duc DuongDepartment of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Thomas G BeachBanner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, Arizona.
Eric M ReimanBanner Alzheimer's Institute, Arizona State University and University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona.
Julie A SchneiderRush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
Patricia BoyleRush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
Adriana LoriDepartment of Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
David A BennettRush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
James J LahDepartment of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Allan I LeveyDepartment of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Nicholas T SeyfriedDepartment of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Thomas S WingoDepartment of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address: thomas.wingo@emory.edu.
Aliza P WingoDepartment of Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Mental Health, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia. Electronic address: aliza.wingo@emory.edu.
Emory University · USRush University Medical Center · USAtlanta VA Medical Center · USBanner Health · USBanner Sun Health Research Institute · US

Funding

SUPPLEMENT TO RUSH ALZHEIMERS DISEASE CENTER COREP30AG010161 · NIA · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI GLOVER, CRYSTAL M · 1991 to 2020
$49.1M
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF NEURAL RESERVE AND NEUROBIOLOGY IN AGINGR01AG017917 · NIA · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI BENNETT, DAVID ALAN · 2001 to 2023
$43.3M
Research Education ComponentP30AG019610 · NIA · SUN HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE · PI REIMAN, ERIC MICHAEL · 2001 to 2020
$32.5M
The Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Research CenterP30AG066511 · NIA · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI Amy D Rodriguez · 2020 to 2026
$29.0M
The Emory Alzheimer's Disease CenterP50AG025688 · NIA · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI WALKER, LARY C · 2005 to 2019
$25.7M
Research Education ComponentP30AG072980 · NIA · BANNER HEALTH · PI Nicholas Ashton · 2021 to 2026
$24.9M
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Research CenterP30AG072975 · NIA · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI Lisa L Barnes, Julie A. Schneider · 2021 to 2026
$24.7M
RISK FACTORS, PATHOLOGY, AND CLINICAL EXPRESSIONS OF ADR01AG015819 · NIA · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI BENNETT, DAVID ALAN · 1998 to 2024
$21.4M
Multi-omic network-directed proteoform discovery, dissection and functional validation to prioritize novel AD therapeutic targetsU01AG061356 · NIA · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · PI BENNETT, DAVID ALAN, DE JAGER, PHILIP L · 2018 to 2022
$13.7M
Supplement to AMP-AD Brain Proteomic Network Enhancement, Validation and Translation into CSF BiomarkersU01AG061357 · NIA · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI LEVEY, ALLAN I, SEYFRIED, NICHOLAS THOMAS · 2018 to 2022
$9.1M
Discovery of Novel Proteomic Targets in Alzheimer's DiseaseU01AG046161 · NIA · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI BENNETT, DAVID ALAN, GESCHWIND, DANIEL H · 2014 to 2018
$8.4M
National Brain and Tissue Resource for Parkinson's Disease and Related DisordersU24NS072026 · NINDS · BANNER SUN HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE · PI BEACH, THOMAS G · 2011 to 2015
$7.8M
BLRD VA I01 BX003853BLRD VA IK4 BX005219NCCIH NIH HHS R61 AT009628NIA NIH HHS P30 AG010161NIA NIH HHS P30 AG019610NIA NIH HHS P30 AG066511NIA NIH HHS P30 AG072975NIA NIH HHS P30 AG072980NIA NIH HHS P50 AG025688NIA NIH HHS R01 AG015819NIA NIH HHS R01 AG017917NIA NIH HHS R01 AG053960NIA NIH HHS R01 AG056533NIA NIH HHS R01 AG057911NIA NIH HHS R01 AG061800NIA NIH HHS R56 AG060757NIA NIH HHS R56 AG062256NIA NIH HHS RC2 AG036547NIA NIH HHS RF1 AG057470NIA NIH HHS U01 AG046161NIA NIH HHS U01 AG061356NIA NIH HHS U01 AG061357NIMH NIH HHS U01 MH115484NINDS NIH HHS P30 NS055077NINDS NIH HHS U24 NS072026
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDepression has been associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in several prospective studies; however, mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear.

methodsWe examined genetic correlation between depression and AD using linkage disequilibrium score regression. We then tested for evidence of causality between depression and AD using Mendelian randomization and genome-wide association study results. Subsequently, cis and trans quantitative trait locus analyses for the depression genome-wide association study signals were performed to resolve the genetic signals to specific DNA methylation sites, brain transcripts, and proteins. These transcripts and proteins were then examined for associations with AD and its endophenotypes. Finally, the associations between depression polygenic risk score and AD endophenotypes were examined.

resultsWe detected a significant genetic correlation between depression and AD, suggesting that they have a shared genetic basis. Furthermore, we found that depression had a causal role in AD through Mendelian randomization but did not find evidence for a causal role of AD on depression. Moreover, we identified 75 brain transcripts and 28 brain proteins regulated by the depression genome-wide association study signals through quantitative trait locus analyses. Of these, 46 transcripts and seven proteins were associated with rates of cognitive decline over time, AD pathologies, and AD diagnosis in two separate cohorts, thus implicating them in AD. In addition, we found that a higher depression polygenic risk score was associated with a faster decline of episodic memory over time.

conclusionsDepression appears to have a causal role in AD, and this causal relationship is likely driven, in part, by the 53 brain transcripts and proteins identified in this study.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCognitive DysfunctionDepressionGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansMendelian Randomization AnalysisPolymorphism, Single NucleotideProspective StudiesAlzheimer’s diseaseBrain proteinDepressionGenetic correlationMendelian randomizationQuantitative trait locus

Identifiers

PMID35177243
PMCPMC9200901
OpenAlexW4200350234

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.