Association of Visual Health With Depressive Symptoms and Brain Imaging Phenotypes Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Abstract

ImportanceVision loss and depression are common conditions with major health implications. However, mechanisms of the association of visual health (across the full acuity spectrum) with depression remain unclear.ObjectiveTo characterize the association between visual health and depression and investigate the association between depression and brain microstructure and macrostructure in subgroups divided by visual acuity.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsIn the UK Biobank Study cohort, 114 583 volunteers were included at baseline from March to June 2006 to July 2010. Habitual distance visual acuity was examined using the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) characters. Depression was identified based on Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) or through an interview-based psychiatric diagnosis. Subgroup participants completed multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and PHQ evaluation during the imaging visit after 2014. Data were analyzed from May 5 to August 9, 2022.Main Outcomes and MeasuresDepression, depressive symptoms, and imaging-derived phenotypes from T1-weighted and diffusion MRI.ResultsOf the 114 583 participants from the UK Biobank Study, 62 401 (54.5%) were women, and the mean (SD) age was 56.8 (8.1) years (range, 39-72 years). A 1-line worse visual acuity (0.1 LogMAR increase) was associated with 5% higher odds of depression (odds ratio, 1.05 [95% CI, 1.04-1.07]) after adjustment for age, sex, race and ethnicity, Townsend index, educational qualifications, smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, physical activity, history of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and family history of depression. Of the 7844 participants eligible for MRI analysis, there were linear associations between PHQ score and the left volume of gray matter in supracalcarine cortex (coefficient, 7.61 [95% CI, 3.90-11.31]) and mean isotropic volume fraction (ISOVF) in the right fornix (cres) and/or stria terminalis (coefficient, 0.003 [95% CI, 0.001-0.004]) after correction for multiple comparison. In addition, their association could be moderated by visual acuity, whereby increased PHQ score was associated with higher ISOVF levels only among those with poorer visual acuity (P = .02 for interaction).Conclusions and RelevanceThis study suggests an association between visual health and depression and that the diffusion characteristic of ISOVF in the fornix (cres) and/or stria terminalis is associated with depressive symptoms in participants with poorer visual acuity.

Oxidative balance score and associations with dyslipidemia and mortality among US adults: A mortality follow‐up study of a cross‐sectional cohort

“…Our secondary outcomes were all‐cause mortality and CVD mortality. Follow‐up data and mortality status on participants with dyslipidemia were obtained by linking NHANES to the National Death Index death certificate records until December 31, 2019 13 . Any cause of death was considered as all‐cause mortality.…”

“…Follow-up data and mortality status on participants with dyslipidemia were obtained by linking NHANES to the National Death Index death certificate records until December 31, 2019. 13 Any cause of death was considered as all-cause mortality. CVD-specific mortality was identified based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes I00-I09, I11, I13, I20-I51, and I60-I69.…”

Heterogeneity of Treatment Effects in Internet- and Mobile-Based Interventions for Depression

“…[1][2][3] Besides the high personal burden for affected individuals, depression is related to high economic costs and increased risk for chronic diseases and mortality, further highlighting the need for effective depression treatment. [4][5][6][7] In addition to pharmacological therapy 8 and face-to-face psychotherapy for depression, 9,10 internet-and mobile-based interventions (IMIs) have been frequently studied in the last 2 decades. 11,12 IMIs transfer face-to-face psychotherapeutic approaches into the virtual space providing timeand location-independent access to treatment.…”

Management of Depression in Adults

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