Depression in Early Life May Up Dementia Risk Later

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Happy young adults whitethorn beryllium somewhat protected from dementia, but the reverse whitethorn beryllium true, too: If you're a depressed young adult, your likelihood for dementia rise, a new study suggests.

"Generally, we recovered that the greater the depressive symptoms, the little the cognition and the faster the rates of decline," researcher Willa Brenowitz said.

"Older adults estimated to person mean oregon precocious depressive symptoms successful aboriginal adulthood were recovered to acquisition a driblet successful cognition implicit 10 years," added Brenowitz, of the University of California, San Francisco's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

The researchers developed a statistical exemplary to foretell the mean arc of slump among 15,000 participants ages 20 to 89. They recovered that successful a radical of astir 6,000 older adults, the likelihood of cognitive impairment were 73% higher for those who had symptoms of slump successful aboriginal adulthood, and 43% higher for those with symptoms of slump successful aboriginal life.

"Several mechanisms explicate however slump mightiness summation dementia risk," Brenowitz  said successful a assemblage quality release. "Among them is that hyperactivity of the cardinal accent effect strategy increases accumulation of the accent hormones glucocorticoids, starring to harm of the hippocampus, the portion of the encephalon indispensable for forming, organizing and storing caller memories."

Other studies person tied slump with shrinking of the hippocampus, and 1 survey has shown faster rates of measurement nonaccomplishment successful women, she said.

For this study, participants were screened for depression. Moderate oregon precocious depressive symptoms were recovered successful 13% of young adults, 26% of midlife adults and 34% of older participants. More than 1,200 participants were diagnosed with cognitive impairment.

With up to 20% of the colonisation suffering from slump during their lifetime, it's important to admit its relation successful cognitive, oregon mental, aging, said researcher Dr. Kristine Yaffe, besides of the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

"Future enactment volition beryllium needed to corroborate these findings, but successful the meantime, we should surface and dainty slump for galore reasons," Yaffe said successful the release.

The study was published Sept. 28 successful the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

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The Alzheimer's Association has much connected dementia.

SOURCE: University of California, San Francisco, quality release, Sept. 28, 2021