Biomarker profiles in late-life depression and Alzheimer's disease across and beyond the A/T/N framework: A scoping review.
10 affiliations
- 1Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
- 2School of Social Work, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, USA.
- 3School of Social Work, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
- 4School of Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
- 5University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
- 6Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
- 7Bernard Becker Medical Library, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
- 8Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
- 9Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
- 10Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Abstract
Depression and Alzheimer's disease (AD) frequently overlap clinically, and depressive symptoms may signal major depressive disorder, a risk factor for AD, or an early manifestation of neurodegeneration. This scoping review mapped biomarker evidence differentiating depression and AD within and beyond the amyloid/tau/neurodegeneration (A/T/N) framework. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus were searched for studies published between 2010 and 2025 examining biomarkers in depression and AD. Eligible studies included clinical diagnoses of AD and/or depression and reported biomarker measures. Forty-eight studies met inclusion criteria. Amyloid biomarkers were most consistently associated with clinically diagnosed AD, whereas findings for other biomarkers were more heterogeneous. Neurodegeneration markers, including hippocampal atrophy, were commonly associated with AD, while vascular abnormalities and altered functional connectivity were more frequently linked to depressive symptoms. Overall, AD and depression demonstrated partially distinct but overlapping biomarker profiles, highlighting the need for longitudinal studies using scalable biomarkers to clarify causal and temporal relationships.
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BibTeX
@article{zhu2026biomarker,
title = {{Biomarker profiles in late-life depression and Alzheimer's disease across and beyond the A/T/N framework: A scoping review.}},
author = {Yiqi Zhu and Nikitha Damera and Ramkrishna K Singh and Semere Bekena and Laura Kelble and Katherine McGuire and Yikun Hu and Eden Mersiehazen and Gagan Vijay and Arya Nazif and Ramana Kolady and Liwei Xiang and Xian Liu and Shaney Flores and Kaitlyn Dombrowski and Subrata Pal and Angela Hardi and Kaylin Taylor and Jean-Francois Trani and Beau M Ances and Eric J Lenze and Prashanthi Vemuri and Clifford R Jack and Ronald C Petersen and Ganesh M Babulal},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/alz.71739},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904492},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Biomarker profiles in late-life depression and Alzheimer's disease across and beyond the A/T/N framework: A scoping review.
AU - Yiqi Zhu
AU - Nikitha Damera
AU - Ramkrishna K Singh
AU - Semere Bekena
AU - Laura Kelble
AU - Katherine McGuire
AU - Yikun Hu
AU - Eden Mersiehazen
AU - Gagan Vijay
AU - Arya Nazif
AU - Ramana Kolady
AU - Liwei Xiang
AU - Xian Liu
AU - Shaney Flores
AU - Kaitlyn Dombrowski
AU - Subrata Pal
AU - Angela Hardi
AU - Kaylin Taylor
AU - Jean-Francois Trani
AU - Beau M Ances
AU - Eric J Lenze
AU - Prashanthi Vemuri
AU - Clifford R Jack
AU - Ronald C Petersen
AU - Ganesh M Babulal
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association
DO - 10.1002/alz.71739
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904492
AB - Depression and Alzheimer's disease (AD) frequently overlap clinically, and depressive symptoms may signal major depressive disorder, a risk factor for AD, or an early manifestation of neurodegeneration. This scoping review mapped biomarker evidence differentiating depression and AD within and beyond the amyloid/tau/neurodegeneration (A/T/N) framework. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus were searched for studies published between 2010 and 2025 examining biomarkers in depression and AD. Eligible studies included clinical diagnoses of AD and/or depression and reported biomarker measures. Forty-eight studies met inclusion criteria. Amyloid biomarkers were most consistently associated with clinically diagnosed AD, whereas findings for other biomarkers were more heterogeneous. Neurodegeneration markers, including hippocampal atrophy, were commonly associated with AD, while vascular abnormalities and altered functional connectivity were more frequently linked to depressive symptoms. Overall, AD and depression demonstrated partially distinct but overlapping biomarker profiles, highlighting the need for longitudinal studies using scalable biomarkers to clarify causal and temporal relationships.
SN - 1552-5260
SN - 1552-5279
ER -