London - Loneliness and depression could contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, claim scientists.
A link has been seen before, but it was not known if depression was a risk factor before dementia developed, or a consequence of the disease itself.
But US researchers, who studied 1 764 elderly people, found dementia was linked with a higher level of depression before diagnosis, not after.
The results were published in the journal Neurology.
Common symptoms, such as loneliness and loss of appetite, could therefore show a person is at risk of Alzheimer’s.
Neuroscientist Robert Wilson, of Rush University, Illinois, said: “These findings suggest depression truly is a risk factor for dementia, and if we can prevent or treat depression we may have the potential to help people maintain their thinking and memory abilities into old age.” - Daily Mail