Persistent depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in older adults. (22nd November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zheng, Fanfan; Zhong, Baoliang; Song, Xiaoyu; Xie, Wuxiang
• Is Part Of: British journal of psychiatry. Volume 213:Number 5(2018)
• Page Start: 638
• Page End: 644
• Publication Date: 2018-11-22
• Subjects: Depressive symptoms, -- cognitive decline, -- trajectory, -- ELSA; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Psychology, Pathological -- Periodicals; 616.89005
• DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2018.155
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-1250

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Little is known about the effect of persistent depressive symptoms on the trajectory of cognitive decline. Aims: We aimed to investigate the longitudinal association between the duration of depressive symptoms and subsequent cognitive decline over a 10-year follow-up period. Method: The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing cohort is a prospective and nationally representative cohort of men and women living in England aged ≥50 years. We examined 7610 participants with two assessments of depressive symptoms at wave 1 (2002–2003) and wave 2 (2004–2005), cognitive data at wave 2 and at least one reassessment of cognitive function (wave 3 to wave 7, 2006–2007 to 2014–2015). Results: The mean age of the 7610 participants was 65.2 ± 10.1 years, and 57.0% were women. Of these, 1157 (15.2%) participants had episodic depressive symptoms and 525 participants (6.9%) had persistent depressive symptoms. Compared with participants without depressive symptoms at wave 1 and wave 2, the multivariable-adjusted rates of global cognitive decline associated with episodic depressive symptoms and persistent depressive symptoms were faster by –0.065 points/year (95% CI –0.129 to –0.000) and –0.141 points/year (95% CI –0.236 to –0.046), respectively ( P for trend < 0.001). Similarly, memory, executive and orientation function also declined faster with increasing duration of depressive symptoms (all P for trend < 0.05). Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that depressive symptoms were significantly associated with subsequent cognitive decline over a 10-year follow-up period. Cumulative exposure of long-term depressive symptoms in elderly individuals could predict accelerated subsequent cognitive decline in a dose-response pattern. Declaration of interest: None.