Current Understanding of the Neurobiology and Longitudinal Course of Geriatric Depression

Late life depression is a complex disease associated with a number of contributing neurobiological factors, including cerebrovascular disease, neurodegeneration, and inflammation, which also contribute to its longitudinal prognosis and course. These factors create a context in which the brain is more vulnerable to the impact of stress, and thus, to depression. At the same time, some individuals are protected from late life depression and its consequences, even in the face of neurobiological vulnerability, through benefitting from one or more attributes associated with resilience, including social support, engagement in physical and cognitive activities, and brain reserve. Enhanced understanding of how neurobiological and environmental factors interact in predicting vulnerability and resilience is needed to predict onset and course of depression in late life and develop more effective interventions.