Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical
Center and the University of California, San Francisco
found that depressed seniors are more likely to develop
mild cognitive impairment within six years than those
who are depression-free.
The more severe the depression, the greater the risk
of the mental decline, according to the study, which appears
in the March issue of the journal Archives of General
Psychiatry.
The study included 2,220 people 65 and older. At the
start of this study, participants were checked for symptoms
of depression. Six years later, they were assessed for
cognitive impairment.
The researchers found that close to 20 percent of those
with moderate to high depression at the start of the study
had developed cognitive impairment after six years, compared
to just over 13 percent of those who had mild depressive
symptoms and 10 percent of those who had no symptoms of
depression.
"This is important, because mild cognitive impairment
often precedes dementia," study lead author Deborah
Barnes, a mental health researcher at SFVAMC, said in
a prepared statement.
She said family members and health providers should pay
attention when an older adult shows signs of depression.
"Even if they don't have cognitive impairment at
that time, our study suggests that you probably want to
keep an eye on them. Depression might be an early sign
of neurodegeneration -- in fact, it might be the first
symptom that a family member notices," Barnes said.
The study also found no correlation between depression
and vascular disease. The authors said this was a significant
finding because other researchers have suggested that
vascular disease may cause inadequate blood flow to different
areas of the brain, resulting in depression and cognitive
impairment.
"We found no evidence to support that hypothesis,"
Barnes said.
