Finding Happiness in Adulthood Shields Against Cognitive Decline in Old Age • [Video]

🔬 Insights from the University of California – San Francisco (UCSF) Study

Additional research adds more evidence to the link between depression and cognitive decline, but while most studies point to its association in later life, UCSF’s research suggests that depression in adulthood may lead to cognitive decline up to 10 years later and impaired cognition in old age.

🧠 Researchers used innovative statistical methods to predict the average course of depressive symptoms for about 15,000 participants aged 20 to 89, divided into three life stages: older, middle-aged, and young.

📊 They then applied these predicted courses and found that in a group of approximately 6,000 older participants, the rate of cognitive decline was over 73% higher for those diagnosed with increasing depressive symptoms in adulthood.

💡 These results were adjusted for depressive symptoms in other life stages and differences in age, gender, race, education level, body mass index, history of diabetes, and smoking status. For depressive symptoms in middle age, researchers found an association with cognitive decline, but this was mitigated when adjusting for depression in other life stages.

• Excessive Stress Hormones Can Damage Memory Formation

🔍 Dr. Willa Brenowitz, MPH, from UCSF’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Weill Institute for Neuroscience, states: “Several mechanisms explain how depression may increase the risk of cognitive decline.” “Among these, the hyperactivity of the central stress response system increases the production of stress hormones glucocorticoids, leading to damage to the hippocampal region, the part of the brain necessary for forming, organizing, and storing new memories.”

🧠 Other studies have linked depression to hippocampal atrophy, and one study found that the rate of volume loss was faster in women.

⏰ Estimating depressive symptoms across life stages, researchers combined data from younger participants with data from approximately 6,000 older participants and predicted the average cycle. These participants, with an average age of 72 at study entry and living at home, were enrolled in the Health Aging and Body Composition Study and the Cardiovascular Health Study. They were followed annually/semi-annually for up to 11 years.

• U-Shaped Curve Enhances Predictive Reliability

📈 Participants were screened for depression using a tool called CESD-10, a 10-item questionnaire assessing symptoms in the past week. Moderate to high depressive symptoms were found in 13% of young adults, 26% of middle-aged adults, and 34% of older adults.

🧠 Approximately 1,277 participants were diagnosed with cognitive impairment following neurological examination, evidence of partial decline, documented use of medication for dementia, or hospital admission with dementia as a primary or secondary diagnosis. The conclusion is that larger depressive symptoms in adulthood are associated with cognitive decline and increased memory impairment later on.

🗣️ Author Dr. Kristine Yaffe, MD, from UCSF’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, notes that with 20% of the population experiencing depression over their lifetime, it’s essential to recognize its role in the aging process. “More work will be needed in the future to confirm these findings, but in the meantime, we should screen for and treat depression for many reasons.”

#Research #Depression #CognitiveDecline #Aging #MentalHealth #UCSF