Key result
Elevated depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women linked to longitudinal global cognitive decline.
Why the study?
Elevated depressive symptoms are associated with incident mild cognitive impairment and probable dementia in postmenopausal women, but their association with domain-specific cognitive changes and the role of cardiovascular factors is unclear.
Are elevated depressive symptoms associated with longitudinal cognitive decline in elderly women?
Cohort (n=2,221)
Yes
Are elevated depressive symptoms associated with longitudinal cognitive decline in elderly women?
p-value: p=<0.01
Elevated and persistent depressive symptoms are associated with longitudinal cognitive decline in elderly women, with cardiovascular disease moderating some cross-sectional cognitive domains.
Elevated DS may flag cognitive risk in postmenopausal women; leaves open whether CVD severity moderates domain-specific decline.
Elevated depressive symptoms (DS) are associated with incident mild cognitive impairment and probable dementia in postmenopausal women. We examined the association of elevated DS with domain-specific cognitive changes and the moderating role of cardiovascular risk factor severity and cardiovascular disease (CVD). A total of 2221 elderly women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging were separated into those with (N = 204) and without (N = 2017) elevated DS. The DS and multidomain cognitive outcomes were measured annually for an average follow-up of 5.04 years. Women with elevated DS showed baseline multidomain cognitive deficits but longitudinal declines in global cognition only. Persistent DS was related to greater global cognition, verbal knowledge and fluency, and memory declines. Significant DS-CVD interactions were observed cross-sectionally (but not longitudinally) for figural memory and fine motor speed. Future studies should investigate the role of nonvascular mechanisms linking DS and cognitive decline.
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Goveas et al. (2014) conducted a cohort in Cognitive decline (n=2,221). Elevated depressive symptoms vs. No elevated depressive symptoms was evaluated on Longitudinal decline in global cognitive function (p=<0.01). Elevated depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women were associated with longitudinal declines in global cognition (p<0.01), while persistently elevated symptoms were linked to greater declines in global cognition, verbal knowledge, and verbal fluency.
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