Depression May Be A Risk Factor For Cognitive Decline In Seniors

Reuters (7/31, Doyle) reports that according to a study published online July 30 in the journal Neurology, depression appears to contribute to faster cognitive decline in seniors with dementia or mild cognitive impairment.

TIME (7/31, Sifferlin) reports that for the study, investigators “looked at 1,764 people with no memory problems around age 77 and followed them for about eight years.” Researchers then “discovered that people with mild cognitive decline as well as people with dementia were likely to have higher levels of depression symptoms before they were diagnosed, and that having these symptoms was associated with a greater decline in memory.” The study authors went on to estimate that symptoms of depression “accounted for 4.4% of the difference in memory decline that could not be caused by brain damage.”

Related Links:

— “Depression linked to faster cognitive decline in old age,” Kathryn Doyle, Reuters, July 30, 2014.

Posted in In The News.