Commentary on “Low Mood and Risk of Dementia: The Role of Marital Status and Living Situation”

Abstract

Because there is currently no cure for dementia, there has been much emphasis on understanding risk factors as well as protective factors that may inform preventative intervention. In addition to genetic risk factors, most notably Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4, researchers have identified promising behavioral and social risk factors. 1 Bendlin BB Carlsson CM Gleason CE et al. Midlife predictors of Alzheimer's disease. Maturitas. 2010; 65: 131-137 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar These include, but are not limited to, low education, eating an unhealthy diet, engaging in low levels of physical activity, and lack of social support. 1 Bendlin BB Carlsson CM Gleason CE et al. Midlife predictors of Alzheimer's disease. Maturitas. 2010; 65: 131-137 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar Of growing interest in the search for modifiable risk factors is depression, which often co-occurs with dementia and has overlapping symptoms. 2 Diniz BS Butters MA Albert SM et al. Late-life depression and risk of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of community-based cohort studies. Br J Psychiatry. 2013; 202: 329-335 Crossref PubMed Scopus (765) Google Scholar ,3 Gatchel JR Rabin JS Buckley RF et al. Longitudinal association of depression symptoms with cognition and cortical amyloid among community-dwelling older adults association of depression symptoms with cognition and cortical amyloid in older adults. JAMA Network Open. 2019; 2 (e198964-e198964) Google Scholar The article by Sjöberg et al. 4 Sjöberg L Fratiglioni L Lövdén M et al. Low mood and risk of dementia: the role of marital status and living situation. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2020; 28: 33-44 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (6) Google Scholar provide further evidence for the link between depression in older adulthood and dementia. Specifically, they examine low mood, a concept related to depression but a broader attribute, and explore whether marital status and living situation modify the association between low mood and risk of dementia.