Conclusion : Low folate and B12 serum levels seem to be associated with  depression in the aged .
Objectives : To systematic ally review and meta-analyse existing evidence on the association between folate/B12 , and depression among the aged people .
An open trial of methyltetrahydrofolate in elderly depressed patients.
5-methyltetrahydrofolate ( MTHF ) is a naturally occurring substance involved in the synthesis of s-adenosyl-l-methionine ( SAMe ) , a major source of methyl groups in the brain . To assess the efficacy of a gastro-resistant , oral preparation of MTHF , 20 elderly patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of depressive disorder and a HAM-D-21 score > or = 18 underwent 6-weeks of open-label treatment with 50 mg per day of oral MTHF . Of these 20 patients , 16 completed at least 4 weeks of treatment and showed a markedly significant improvement in their depressive symptoms at endpoint , with 81 % of them being considered responders . There were no clinical ly relevant changes in the routine laboratory tests during the study , and no adverse events considered to be definitely drug-related were reported
Conclusion : Low folate and B12 serum levels seem to be associated with  depression in the aged .
Objectives : To systematic ally review and meta-analyse existing evidence on the association between folate/B12 , and depression among the aged people .