Cited by 115Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchAlzheimer's disease research and treatments

Suicide and Alzheimer’s pathology in the elderly: a case–control study

Rubio, Ana, Vestner, Alice Lee, Stewart, John M, Forbes, Nicholas T, Conwell, Yeates, Cox, Christopher·2001·Biological Psychiatry

Abstract

Background The single most important risk factor for Alzheimer's pathology is age. Elderly individuals are also at increased risk for suicide, but comprehensive studies of the association between Alzheimer's pathology and suicide are lacking. We designed the current study to determine if Alzheimer's disease changes are overrepresented in elderly people committing suicide.Methods The design is a case-control study. Cases (n = 28) were subjects older than 60 years of age who completed suicide. For each case, two age- and gender-matched individuals who died naturally were selected as control subjects (n = 56). Neuropathologic examination of hippocampal sections was performed blindly and included a modified Braak scoring system and semiquantitative assessment of neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid deposition, Lewy bodies, and Lewy-associated neurites. Data were analyzed by conditional logistic regression.Results The brains of individuals who committed suicide had higher modified Braak scores than those of matching control subjects (p =.0028). The number of neurofibrillary tangles in CA1 was not an independent predictor of suicide status in the statistical analysis (p =.16), although the distribution was more highly skewed among the cases (75th percentile of 10.5 for cases, vs. 2 for control subjects).Conclusions Severe Alzheimer's disease pathology is overrepresented in elderly patients who complete suicide.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s0006-3223(00)00952-5

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  • Other biological and epidemiologic data provide preliminary evidence that dementia is associated with increased suicide risk in older adults.

    “Other biological (24) and epidemiologic (22) data provide at least preliminary evidence that dementia too is associated with increased risk of suicide in older adults.”

    From Suicide in older adults (2011) · cites this paper as [24]

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Authors
Rubio, A., Vestner, A. L., Stewart, J. M., Forbes, N. T., Conwell, Y., & Cox, C.
Affiliations
  • University of Rochester Medicine (US)
  • University of Rochester (US)
Corresponding author
Rubio, Ana
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2001-01
Volume
49
Issue
2
Pages
137-145
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1967408773
Cited by
115
References
78
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 1
FWCI
9.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (AG 08665, P30AG008665)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH54682, R01MH054682)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
Keywords
suicide, Alzheimer's disease, Alzheimer's disease pathology, older adults, hippocampus, amyloid deposition, Lewy bodies, neurofibrillary tangles, CA1, neuropathology
MeSH terms
Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alzheimer Disease, Autopsy, Brain, Female, Hippocampus, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Organ Size, Regression Analysis, Risk Factors, Suicide, Case-Control Studies, Neurofibrillary Tangles, Amyloid Neuropathies, Lewy Body Disease

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