Genetic evidence for a causal role of depression in late-onset Alzheimer disease: A Mendelian randomization study

Abstract

Observational studies link psychiatric disorders to Alzheimer disease (AD), but whether these associations are causal remains unclear due to confounding and reverse causality. We aimed to dissect these relationships using genetic evidence. We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to assess the causal effects of 7 psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders on AD and its subtypes. The primary analysis utilized the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method, supported by comprehensive sensitivity analyses (MR Steiger test, MR-Egger, and MR-PRESSO) and a supplementary analysis excluding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with potential confounders. Depression showed a significant causal association with late-onset AD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.0736, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.0084–1.1431, P = .0264). No significant causal associations were found for other psychiatric disorders (all P > .05). A directionality test conducted by MR Steiger confirmed our estimation of potential causal direction (P < .001). Sensitivity analyses excluding pleiotropic SNPs yielded consistent results. The causal association for depression and late-onset AD remained significant after excluding pleiotropic SNPs linked to confounders (OR = 1.0726, 95% CI: 1.0069–1.1425, P = .03). Our study provides genetic evidence supporting a causal role for depression in the etiology of late-onset AD, a link not observed for other major psychiatric disorders tested. These findings highlight the specific importance of managing depression as a potential strategy for mitigating AD risk and suggest distinct etiological pathways between different mental health conditions and neurodegeneration.