Overview
- Researchers pinpointed six midlife symptoms linked to later dementia: losing self-confidence, inability to face problems, lack of warmth or affection, feeling nervous or strung-up, dissatisfaction with how tasks are done, and concentration difficulties.
- Participants classified as depressed in midlife showed a 27% higher dementia risk that was entirely driven by these six symptoms in adults younger than 60.
- Loss of self-confidence and difficulty coping with problems were each associated with roughly a 50% higher risk, while lack of warmth (44%), feeling nervous or strung-up (34%), dissatisfaction with tasks (33%), and concentration problems (29%) also showed elevated risks.
- The UCL-led study drew on the Whitehall II cohort, assessing depressive symptoms in 1997–1999 and tracking health records for about 25 years, during which roughly 10% developed dementia.
- Authors and outside experts emphasize the observational design, the cohort’s predominantly male and white makeup, and missing genetic and lifestyle data such as APOEε4, noting that not everyone with depression develops dementia and urging broader studies before clinical adoption.