Impact of depressive symptoms on the rate of progression to dementia in patients affected by mild cognitive impairment. The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Abstract

In our population, depressive symptoms were not associated with the rate of progression to dementia in MCI patients. Our findings did not support a role of socio-demographic variables or vascular risk factors in the association of depressive symptoms and conversion to dementia.

The symptom of low mood in the prodromal stage of mild cognitive impairment and dementia: a cohort study of a community dwelling elderly population

“…This finding is in line with some progression studies of MCI4 12–14 16 and is at odds with others 8–11 15. Indeed, most of the studies that found no association or an inverse association focused on depressive symptoms measured at the same time of MCI detection 8 9 11 15. We showed that only low mood measured at baseline, 3 years before the detection of MCI, predicted subsequent progression of MCI to dementia.…”

The symptom of low mood in the prodromal stage of mild cognitive impairment and dementia: a cohort study of a community dwelling elderly population

“…This finding is in line with some progression studies of MCI4 12–14 16 and is at odds with others 8–11 15. Indeed, most of the studies that found no association or an inverse association focused on depressive symptoms measured at the same time of MCI detection 8 9 11 15. We showed that only low mood measured at baseline, 3 years before the detection of MCI, predicted subsequent progression of MCI to dementia.…”

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: Increased Risk and Faster Progression to Dementia

“…We found no significant impact of depression on the risk of progression to dementia in accordance to several previous studies [28,[30][31][32]. This is contrary to other studies that have found depression to be a significant predictor for progression to dementia, either as a risk [24,33,34], or a protective factor [27,29].…”

Temporal Relationship between Depressive Symptoms and Cognitive Impairment: The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging

“…However, in the ILSA, we did not observe any significant association between depressive symptoms and incident MCI [28] or between depressive symptoms and rate of progression from MCI to dementia [27]. Furthermore, no socio-demographic variables or vascular risk factors modified the association between depressive symptoms and incident MCI or between depressive symptoms and rate of progression from MCI to dementia [27,28]. These contrasting findings suggested that the length of the follow-period (with positive results found by studies with longer follow ups), the study design, the sample population, the level of education, the setting, and methodological differences (measurement of depressive symptoms or diagnosis of depressive disorders and level of depressive symptoms), and the inclusion of MCI patients in samples examined may be central for detecting an association between baseline depression and subsequent development of cognitive decline or dementia and may be sources of conflicting results.…”

“…The advantage of removing MCI and dementia patients is that we are not longer viewing depression as a risk factor or a precedent of dementia. In fact, in the ILSA, we did not observe any significant association between depressive symptoms and incident MCI [28], or between depressive symptoms and rate of progression from MCI to dementia [27]. Our findings on the ILSA population suggested that depression may be part of the natural history of cognitive decline or, alternatively, that depression may arouse an acceleration of normal cognitive aging.…”

The symptom of low mood in the prodromal stage of mild cognitive impairment and dementia: a cohort study of a community dwelling elderly population

“…This finding is in line with some progression studies of MCI4 12–14 16 and is at odds with others 8–11 15. Indeed, most of the studies that found no association or an inverse association focused on depressive symptoms measured at the same time of MCI detection 8 9 11 15. We showed that only low mood measured at baseline, 3 years before the detection of MCI, predicted subsequent progression of MCI to dementia.…”

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: Increased Risk and Faster Progression to Dementia

“…We found no significant impact of depression on the risk of progression to dementia in accordance to several previous studies [28,[30][31][32]. This is contrary to other studies that have found depression to be a significant predictor for progression to dementia, either as a risk [24,33,34], or a protective factor [27,29].…”

Temporal Relationship between Depressive Symptoms and Cognitive Impairment: The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging

“…However, in the ILSA, we did not observe any significant association between depressive symptoms and incident MCI [28] or between depressive symptoms and rate of progression from MCI to dementia [27]. Furthermore, no socio-demographic variables or vascular risk factors modified the association between depressive symptoms and incident MCI or between depressive symptoms and rate of progression from MCI to dementia [27,28]. These contrasting findings suggested that the length of the follow-period (with positive results found by studies with longer follow ups), the study design, the sample population, the level of education, the setting, and methodological differences (measurement of depressive symptoms or diagnosis of depressive disorders and level of depressive symptoms), and the inclusion of MCI patients in samples examined may be central for detecting an association between baseline depression and subsequent development of cognitive decline or dementia and may be sources of conflicting results.…”

“…The advantage of removing MCI and dementia patients is that we are not longer viewing depression as a risk factor or a precedent of dementia. In fact, in the ILSA, we did not observe any significant association between depressive symptoms and incident MCI [28], or between depressive symptoms and rate of progression from MCI to dementia [27]. Our findings on the ILSA population suggested that depression may be part of the natural history of cognitive decline or, alternatively, that depression may arouse an acceleration of normal cognitive aging.…”

The symptom of low mood in the prodromal stage of mild cognitive impairment and dementia: a cohort study of a community dwelling elderly population

“…This finding is in line with some progression studies of MCI4 12–14 16 and is at odds with others 8–11 15. Indeed, most of the studies that found no association or an inverse association focused on depressive symptoms measured at the same time of MCI detection 8 9 11 15. We showed that only low mood measured at baseline, 3 years before the detection of MCI, predicted subsequent progression of MCI to dementia.…”

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: Increased Risk and Faster Progression to Dementia

“…We found no significant impact of depression on the risk of progression to dementia in accordance to several previous studies [28,[30][31][32]. This is contrary to other studies that have found depression to be a significant predictor for progression to dementia, either as a risk [24,33,34], or a protective factor [27,29].…”

Temporal Relationship between Depressive Symptoms and Cognitive Impairment: The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging

“…However, in the ILSA, we did not observe any significant association between depressive symptoms and incident MCI [28] or between depressive symptoms and rate of progression from MCI to dementia [27]. Furthermore, no socio-demographic variables or vascular risk factors modified the association between depressive symptoms and incident MCI or between depressive symptoms and rate of progression from MCI to dementia [27,28]. These contrasting findings suggested that the length of the follow-period (with positive results found by studies with longer follow ups), the study design, the sample population, the level of education, the setting, and methodological differences (measurement of depressive symptoms or diagnosis of depressive disorders and level of depressive symptoms), and the inclusion of MCI patients in samples examined may be central for detecting an association between baseline depression and subsequent development of cognitive decline or dementia and may be sources of conflicting results.…”

“…The advantage of removing MCI and dementia patients is that we are not longer viewing depression as a risk factor or a precedent of dementia. In fact, in the ILSA, we did not observe any significant association between depressive symptoms and incident MCI [28], or between depressive symptoms and rate of progression from MCI to dementia [27]. Our findings on the ILSA population suggested that depression may be part of the natural history of cognitive decline or, alternatively, that depression may arouse an acceleration of normal cognitive aging.…”