Low Confidence, Inability To Cope With Problems Among Signs Of Dementia In Midlife: New Study

Six depressive symptoms in midlife such as not being able to cope with problems and losing confidence in oneself might predict risk of dementia two decades later, according to a new study.

Feeling nervous and tensed most of the time, not feeling warmth and affection for others and difficulties concentrating were among the six symptoms contributing towards dementia, according to the findings published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal.

Researchers led by those at the University College London said the cluster of specific symptoms, rather than depression overall, could indicate the relationship between midlife depression and dementia risk in later life.

Lead author Philipp Frank from University College London's division of psychiatry, said, "Our findings show that dementia risk is linked to a handful of depressive symptoms rather than depression as a whole. This symptom-level approach gives us a much clearer picture of who may be more vulnerable decades before dementia develops." "Everyday symptoms that many people experience in midlife appear to carry important information about long-term brain health. Paying attention to these patterns could open new opportunities for early prevention," Frank said.

Data from 5,811 middle-aged adults who participated in the UK's Whitehall II study, a long-term research that started in 1985 looking into social inequalities in health, was analysed.

Midlife depressive symptoms were assessed during 1997-1999, when the participants were dementia-free and middle-aged (45-69 years) through questionnaires covering 30 common depressive symptoms. The participants were followed up for 25 years through national health registries, 10.1 per cent of whom developed dementia.

Those reporting five or more depressive symptoms in the questionnaire were found to have a 27 per cent higher risk of developing dementia.

However, the increased risk of dementia was driven entirely by the six specific symptoms in adults under 60 -- loss of self-confidence and difficulty coping with problems were each associated with a roughly 50 per cent increased risk of dementia, the researchers found.

"A distinct set of midlife depressive symptoms was associated with an increased risk of dementia, suggesting that these symptoms might be early markers of underlying neurodegenerative processes," the authors wrote.

"These findings could inform earlier identification and more targeted interventions for individuals with depression who are at risk of dementia," they said.

Symptoms such as loss of self-confidence, difficulty coping with problems, and poor concentration can lead to reduced social engagement and fewer cognitively stimulating experiences, both of which are important for maintaining cognitive reserve, the team noted.

They explained cognitive reserve as the brain's ability to cope with damage or disease, allowing one to maintain normal thinking and function even when the brain is physically affected.

An August 2024 study found that lacking a purpose in life and perceiving fewer opportunities for personal growth could be a very early sign of dementia.

Findings published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry suggested that the aspects of psychological wellbeing noticeably declined among older adults three to six years before being diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment that usually precedes dementia and where memory and thought processes are impacted, yet does not interfere with daily functioning. 

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