• James B Badenoch, Alvar Paris, Benjamin Meir Jacobs, Alastair J Noyce, Charles R Marshall, and Sheena Waters.
• Centre for Preventive Neurology, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
• J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 2024 Sep 17; 95 (10): 966973966-973.

BackgroundDepression is reported as a risk factor, prodromal feature and late consequence of Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to evaluate the timing, neuroanatomy and prognostic implications of depression in PD.MethodsWe used data from 434 023 participants from UK Biobank with 14.1 years of follow-up. Multivariable regression models established associations of depression with incident PD and regional brain volumes. Cox proportional hazards models assessed prognostic associations of depression in PD with incident dementia and all-cause mortality.ResultsOf 2632 individuals with incident PD, 539 (20.5%) were diagnosed with depression at some point. Depression was associated with an increased risk of subsequent PD (risk ratio 1.53, 95% CI 1.37 to 1.72). Among incident PD cases, depression prevalence rose progressively from 10 years pre-PD diagnosis (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.57 to 2.83) to 10 years postdiagnosis (OR 3.51, 95% CI 1.33 to 9.22). Depression severity in PD was associated with reduced grey matter volume in structures including the thalamus and amygdala. Depression prior to PD diagnosis increased risk of dementia (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.07) and mortality (HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.58).ConclusionsThis large-scale prospective study demonstrated that depression prevalence increases from 10 years before PD diagnosis and is a marker of cortical and subcortical volume loss. Depression before PD diagnosis signals a worse prognosis in terms of dementia and mortality. This has clinical implications in stratifying people with poorer cognitive and prognostic trajectory in PD.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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