Depressive symptoms are linked to later memory decline in older people. The opposite is also true: Poorer memory is associated with an increase in depressive symptoms later on, according to a study published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open.
Investigators looked at 16 years of data from 8,268 adults in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). The people were an average of 64 years old. Depression and memory were closely related and seemed to affect one another.
People who started the study with higher depressive symptoms were more likely to have faster memory decline later on. People with poorer memory were more likely to have depressive symptoms later, the data showed. Those with more depressive symptoms during the study were more likely to have steeper memory declines at the same time, while people with more pronounced memory decline were more apt to have a significant increases in depressive symptoms.
Less verbal fluency was linked to more depressive symptoms when the study began, but changes in one did not predict later changes in the other.
“It is known that depression and poor memory often occur together in older people, but what comes first has been unclear,” Dorina Cadar, PhD, senior author of the UCL Department of Behavioural Science & Health and Brighton and Sussex Medical School, said in a statement. “Our study shows that the relationship between depression and poor memory cuts both ways, with depressive symptoms preceding memory decline and memory decline linked to subsequent depressive symptoms. It also suggests that interventions to reduce depressive symptoms may help to slow down memory decline.”
The team thinks that depression might affect memory due to depression-related changes in the brain such as neurochemical imbalances and structural changes. Memory problems could also happen due to psychological factors such as dwelling on negative feelings.
People experiencing memory lapses or those who can’t retain new information may be frustrated or feel incompetent, which are triggers for depression. Memory problems could also affect daily functioning, leading to social isolation that causes depressive symptoms.
