Don’t worry, be happy: How excessive worrying may influence the rate of neurodegeneration
Worrying and the Aging Brain (Dana Foundation):
Over the past decade, scientists and clinicians have noted a significant association between common mental health conditions and accelerated brain aging—the changes to brain structure, physiology, and function that are thought to lead to later cognitive decline. Both depression and anxiety disorders, for example, are strongly correlated with the development of dementias including Alzheimer’s disease later in life, yet it has been unclear why. Neuroscientists and gerontologists around the globe have diligently worked to investigate which particular symptoms might contribute to age-related cognitive decline.
New research from the University of Pittsburgh, using a machine learning model to predict a person’s “brain age,” suggests that excessive worrying and rumination may influence the speed of neurodegeneration and the memory and attention deficits that come along with it. Keep reading the excellent article Worrying and the Aging Brain over at Dana Foundation’s website.
Recent Study:
Affective problems and decline in cognitive state in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Psychological Medicine). From the Abstract:
- Evidence suggests that affective problems, such as depression and anxiety, increase risk for late-life dementia. However, the extent to which affective problems influence cognitive decline, even many years prior to clinical diagnosis of dementia, is not clear. The present study systematically reviews and synthesises the evidence for the association between affective problems and decline in cognitive state (i.e., decline in non-specific cognitive function) in older adults … A multi-level meta-analysis revealed that depression assessed as a binary predictor or a continuous predictor was significantly associated with decline in cognitive state … Results of the present study improve current understanding of the temporal nature of the association between affective problems and decline in cognitive state. They also suggest that cognitive function may need to be monitored closely in individuals with affective disorders, as these individuals may be at particular risk of greater cognitive decline.
News in Context:
- Are depression and dementia two sides of the same coin?
- Repetitive negative thinking may increase (or perhaps be caused by) cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s pathology
- Exploring the human brain and how it responds to stress
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