1. Longitudinal associations between late-life depression dimensions and cognitive functioning: a cross-domain latent growth curve analysis
- Author
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Marja Aartsen, Martin Prince, Hannie C. Comijs, Martijn Huisman, A. M. Prina, Anamaria Brailean, Graciela Muniz-Terrera, Aartjan T.F. Beekman, Psychiatry, APH - Mental Health, Epidemiology and Data Science, APH - Aging & Later Life, APH - Societal Participation & Health, Sociology, and The Social Context of Aging (SoCA)
- Subjects
Male ,cognitive ageing ,Aging ,Population ,Affect (psychology) ,latent growth curve models ,Developmental psychology ,late-life depression ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Humans ,Cognitive Dysfunction ,Longitudinal Studies ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Cognitive skill ,Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance ,Cognitive decline ,education ,Applied Psychology ,Depression (differential diagnoses) ,Aged ,Netherlands ,Aged, 80 and over ,Memory Disorders ,education.field_of_study ,Cognitive abilities ,Depression ,Cognition ,Original Articles ,Late life depression ,Ageing ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,SDG 1 - No Poverty ,depression symptom dimensions ,Female ,Psychology ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
BackgroundCognitive impairment and depression often co-occur in older adults, but it is not clear whether depression is a risk factor for cognitive decline, a psychological reaction to cognitive decline, or whether changes in depressive symptoms correlate with changes in cognitive performance over time. The co-morbid manifestation of depression and cognitive impairment may reflect either a causal effect or a common cause, depending on the specific symptoms experienced and the cognitive functions affected.MethodThe study sample comprised 1506 community-dwelling older adults aged ⩾65 years from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). We conducted cross-domain latent growth curve analyses to examine longitudinal associations between late-life depression dimensions (i.e. depressed affect, positive affect, and somatic symptoms) and specific domains of cognitive functioning (i.e. processing speed, inductive reasoning, immediate recall, and delayed recall).ResultsPoorer delayed recall performance at baseline predicted a steeper increase in depressed affect over time. Steeper decline in processing speed correlated with a steeper increase in somatic symptoms of depression over time.ConclusionsOur findings suggest a prospective association between memory function and depressed affect, whereby older adults may experience an increase in depressed affect in reaction to poor memory function. Somatic symptoms of depression increased concurrently with declining processing speed, which may reflect common neurodegenerative processes. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that depression symptoms may be a risk factor for cognitive decline in the general population. These findings have potential implications for the treatment of late-life depression and for the prognosis of cognitive outcomes.
- Published
- 2016