Depression At A Young Age Not Only Leads To Cognitive Decline But Also Increases Dementia Risk in The Future
Feb 19, 2022
In recent years, as people's work, study, and other pressures have intensified, depression has gradually spread to young people.
According to the latest data disclosed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the proportion of diseases caused by psychological problems worldwide has exceeded 10%, and nearly 50% of the diseases are caused by depression. The WHO emphasized that if this growth trend continues in the future, "it is estimated that by 2030, depression will become the number one cause of disability in the world."
Depression is different from human physiological diseases. It is mainly caused by a series of problems caused by the human nervous system (mental factors). Its symptoms will not only change people's personality, world outlook, etc. but even self-harm in severe cases.
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Willa D Brenowitz, an epidemiologist from the University of California, San Francisco, pointed out that depression at a young age not only reduces one's own cognitive ability but if not well treated, with depression The more severe it is, the quicker the cognitive decline will be. In addition, having moderate/severe depression in youth greatly increases the risk of cognitive impairment in old age.
The related research paper "Depressive Symptoms Imputed Across the Life Course Are Associated with Cognitive Impairment and Cognitive Decline" (Depressive Symptoms Imputed Across the Life Course Are Associated with Cognitive Impairment and Cognitive Decline) was published on September 28, 2021, local time in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease [1].
For the study, Willa's team collected health data on about 15,000 adults, and then divided the data into youth (20-49 years old), middle-aged (50-60 years old) and older (70 years old) -89 years), and then monitored the trajectory and impact of depression across age groups.
Using research data, they found that if you suffer from a certain degree of depression at a young age, the probability of developing dementia increases to more than 70% by old age.
Alzheimer's disease, also known as Alzheimer's disease (AD), currently has no effective treatment for the disease. Moreover, in clinical studies, at least 50% of AD patients are accompanied by depression. Depression, as the most common mental disorder, is also a very harmful disease, with a lifetime prevalence rate of 10%-20%. For this reason, the World Health Organization has called it "the greatest future burden of disease".
Regarding the research on why depression in youth increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease, Willa's team analyzed that it may be related to brain damage, Willa said: "If the brain's system responsible for stress response is overactive, it may increase the production of stress hormones and glucocorticoids. , resulting in damage to the brain's hippocampus. The hippocampus is an indispensable part of forming and storing memories. If we can identify and treat depression symptoms in youth, it will greatly improve and prevent Alzheimer's in old age. Silence disease or related dementia.”
At present, the most advanced modern medical technology is still unable to clearly explain the specific causes of depression. This is because the human brain has been receiving various stimuli from the outside world since birth, and these stimuli can change the neural structure of the brain to a large extent. As a result, this can lead to changes in human personality and even multiple personality disorders.
On the other hand, although the direct association of AD with depression is not clear. However, studies have shown that the onset of depression can affect the clinical response to AD. Simply put, depression increases the risk of developing AD.
Because depression can cause changes in the volume of the patient's brain, including the medial temporal lobe, hippocampus, and frontal lobe, these changes can lead to cognitive impairment in patients. In addition, the reduction of the hippocampus is also closely related to the patient's memory function decline.
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Willa explained that these factors can make patients change personalities or produce multiple personality disorders. It's as if depression might predispose an everyday abstainer to addictive behaviors like alcoholism. In addition, when depression occurs, patients resist contact with the outside world.
In this regard, Dr. Meredith Bock, also from UCSF Brain Neurology, said, "When people don't want to hang out with family or friends anymore, or are not interested in the things they used to enjoy, they develop dementia. The risk will be greatly increased. If we can reduce the risk factors through early intervention, we may delay their onset.”
It is worth mentioning that although depression is a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, depression is different from "apathy symptoms", and the two are not easy to distinguish. This is due to the fact that the two share many similar symptoms, such as easy fatigue, diminished insight, lack of apparent interest, and lack of emotion. In contrast, depression has more other symptoms than apathy, such as pessimism, hopelessness, and even thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
Through this study, the research team believes that although there is currently no specific treatment for depression, it is best for patients to receive comprehensive treatment when the primary symptoms of depression appear. Everyone is a combination of mind and body, so depression must be treated from multiple perspectives, both physical and psychological.
In addition, for depressed patients, the company of family members is particularly important. In addition to using scientific treatment, or a little patience and fewer requirements will be more able to help patients get out of the haze of depression.
