Association of a dopamine beta-hydroxylase gene variant with depression in elderly women possibly reflecting noradrenergic dysfunction

BackgroundDepression has a multifactorial etiology which involves genetic factors and comorbid diseases.MethodsA cross-sectional sample of 1371 elderly women (mean age = 69.2 years) was examined. Detailed information on their health was obtained. Cognitive functions were assessed by the Short Blessed Test and the Animal Naming Task. A 19 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in the dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene, the apolipoprotein (APOE) ɛ2/ɛ3/ɛ4 variation and 5-HTTLPR in the serotonin transporter gene were genotyped.ResultsDepression was univariately associated with homozygosity for the DBH gene 19 bp deletion allele (odds ratio [OR] = 1.96, 95% confidence intervals [95% CI] = 1.17–3.29, p = 0.01), family history of depression (OR = 3.86, 95% CI = 1.85–8.06, p = 0.0003), a composite measure of cardiovascular diseases (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.11–3.47, p = 0.02), cognitive impairment assessed by the Short Blessed Test (OR = 3.88, 95% CI = 1.29–11.64, p = 0.02) and performance on the Animal Naming Task (OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.59–0.93, p = 0.01). The strength of the association of DBH genotype with depression essentially remained unchanged after correction for other variables in a multivariate model. This association may reflect noradrenaline dysfunction in the brain.