MRI HIGH-INTENSITY SIGNALS IN LATE-LIFE DEPRESSION AND ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

The authors examined periventricular white matter, deep white matter, and subcortical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) high-intensity signal s in subjects with late-life depression, probable Alzheimer's disease (DAT), and healthy, age-matched controls. All subjects were healthy an d free of major vascular risk factors, including hypertension. MRIs we re performed using a 1.5-tesla GE Signa scanner. T2 and proton-density -weighted images were analyzed by a neuroradiologist blind to the clin ical status of all subjects. There were no statistically significant d ifferences on any of the MRI indices between the groups studied. These data demonstrate that late-life depression, like DAT, in the absence of major vascular risk factors, is not associated with a significant i ncrease in MRI high-intensity signals when compared to healthy, contro l subjects.