Archive · 10 Jun 2025
Study Links Late-Life Mood Disorders to Dementia Risk
Imagine that feeling sad or being really energetic and happy after you turn 40 could be a sign of a brain problem later on.
Scientists looked at people with these mood changes and found that they sometimes have signs of brain diseases like dementia.
They used special brain scans to see if people with late-life mood problems had a build-up of proteins that are linked to these diseases.
The scientists discovered that people with mood changes were more likely to have these protein build-ups, even before they started having memory issues.
This suggests that taking care of your mental health after 40 is really important for your brain health as you get older.
Study suggests late-life mood disorders (LLMDs) may precede neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.
Researchers from QST, Japan, conducted the study.
The study examined 52 participants with LLMDs and 47 healthy controls using brain imaging.
Participants with LLMDs showed higher tau and amyloid protein accumulation.
The findings support that neurodegenerative diseases can initially manifest as psychiatric symptoms.
- Who
- Researchers from National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST).
- What
- Study linking late-life mood disorders to potential dementia risk.
- When
- After the age of 40
- Where
- Japan
- Why
- To investigate the connection between late-life mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.
- Research Institution
- National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Japan
- Published In
- Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association
- Participants with LLMDs
- 52
- Healthy Controls
- 47
- LLMD participants with tau accumulation
- 50%
- Healthy controls with tau accumulation
- 15%