A study published on June 12, 2024, in Neurology®, found that people with prolonged depression symptoms starting in young adulthood may have worse thinking and memory skills in middle age. The study also revealed that Black adults experience depressive symptoms more often than white adults.
Dr. Leslie Grasset from the University of Bordeaux noted that the processes leading to dementia start early, and Black adults have a higher risk of dementia. The study showed that long-term depressive symptoms negatively affect middle-age cognitive skills, especially for Black adults.
The study followed 3,117 people, starting at an average age of 30, with 47% Black and 53% white participants. Participants were assessed for depressive symptoms every five years over 20 years. They filled out questionnaires about appetite, sleep, concentration, and feelings of worthlessness, sadness, or loneliness. Higher scores indicated more symptoms.
Researchers grouped participants into four categories based on their symptom progression: persistently low, medium decreasing, persistently medium, and high increasing symptoms. More Black participants were in the persistently medium (52%) and high increasing (70%) groups.
At an average age of 55, participants took three tests to assess thinking and memory. In one test, they matched numbers to symbols as quickly as possible. Scores ranged from 0 to 133, with lower scores indicating worse cognition. The low symptom group averaged 73, the medium decreasing group 71, the persistently medium group 66, and the high increasing group 57.
After accounting for age, physical activity, and cholesterol, Black participants in the high-symptom group scored 0.64 standard deviations lower than those in the low-symptom group. White participants in the high-symptom group scored 0.40 standard deviations lower than those in the low-symptom group.
Researchers standardized scores for three cognitive tests and adjusted for education and blood pressure. They found that Black participants with high and medium symptoms had worse verbal memory, processing speed, and executive function scores compared to the low-symptom group. For white participants, those with high symptoms had worse verbal memory and processing speed scores compared to the low symptom group.
The results indicate that Black adults are more likely to have worse depressive symptoms, which can negatively impact thinking and memory by middle age. This could explain some of the disparities in dementia risk in older age.
More depressive symptoms in Black adults may be due to socioeconomic inequalities like housing, income, and access to healthcare. Interventions to reduce dementia risk should consider these racial inequalities.
A limitation of the study was that symptoms were self-reported without clinical diagnoses, so some participants might not have accurately reported their symptoms.
Journal reference:
Michalina F. Jadick, Talia Robinson et al, Associations Between Self and Study Partner Report of Cognitive Decline With Regional Tau in a Multicohort Study. Neurology. DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000209447.
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