A large study based on data from almost 6,000 adults has made it possible to map the six symptoms that can predict the risk of dementia in the future if they appear in the chronological half of our lives. They are all related to depression and … son: loss of self-confidence, inability to cope with problems, lack of warmth and affection for others, permanent feeling of nervesconstant dissatisfaction and difficulty concentrating.
Depression in midlife has long been considered a risk factor for dementia later in life. However, these new data findings published in ‘The Lancet Psychiatry‘ suggest that this relationship is due to a small set of specific symptoms, rather than depression in general.
Researchers at University College London, UK, say focusing on these six symptoms when treating patients with midlife depression can reduce their risk of developing dementia.
“Our results show that the risk of dementia is related to a set of depressive symptoms, rather than to depression as a whole,” says Philipp Frank, who believes that this symptom-based approach provides a much clearer view of who might be most vulnerable decades before dementia develops.
According to the authors, the everyday symptoms that many people experience in middle age appear to contain important information about long-term brain health. Paying attention to these patterns could open new opportunities for early prevention.
The researchers analyzed data from 5,811 adults middle-aged women who participated in the Whitehall II study.
Loss of trust
Depressive symptoms were assessed in middle-aged adults (45–69 years) between 1997 and 1999, and their health was followed for 25 years. In that period, 10.1% developed dementia. The results showed that developing depression in midlife was associated with a 27% increased risk of dementia, but this increase was explained only by six specific symptoms in people under 60 years of age. Among them, loss of self-confidence and difficulty coping with problems were related to a nearly 50% increase in the risk of developing dementia.
Researchers note that symptoms such as loss of self-confidence, difficulty coping with problems, and lack of concentration can lead to less social participation and fewer cognitively stimulating experiences, both of which are important for maintaining cognitive reserve, that is, the brain’s ability to cope with damage or illness, allowing normal thinking and function to be maintained even when the brain is physically affected.
In contrast, other depressive symptoms, including sleep problems, suicidal ideation, or low mooddid not show a significant association with long-term dementia.
More personalized treatments
«Depression does not have a single form: symptoms vary widely and often overlap with anxiety. We found that these nuanced patterns can reveal who is most at risk for developing neurological disorders. This brings us closer to more personalized and effective mental health treatments», assures Mika Kivimäki.
For Gill Livingston, one of the study’s co-authors, this is “an important new way of looking at depression and dementia, and is more evidence that depression is a broad umbrella and not necessarily a disease.”
However, he acknowledges that there is little evidence whether treating depression in midlife could reduce the risk of dementia later in life.
