Multimodal Characterization of Vascular Subthreshold Depression During the Menopausal Transition and Beyond

This study tested the vascular depression hypothesis in a diverse sample of women, explored the impact of menopause on the vascular–depressive symptoms relationship, and examined associations of vascular subthreshold depression with executive functioning. Data were analyzed from 69 women between ages 45 to 77 years. Principle components analysis was used to generate composite scores representing vascular burden and executive functioning. Results from linear regression analyses found no significant associations between vascular burden and depressive symptoms, no interactions of race or menopause symptoms with vascular burden on depressive symptoms, and no associations between vascular burden by subthreshold depression subgroups and executive functioning. Exploratory analyses revealed poor sleep, high stress, and discrimination predicted greater depressive symptoms. This suggests in healthy women in late middle adulthood, sleep and stress-related mechanisms may be predictive of mood. Future studies should study these relationships with objective measures, using longitudinal methods, and within equally diverse populations.