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   Depression, behavioral changes may precede memory loss in Alzheimer's   
   Date:   
   January 14, 2015   
   Source:   
   Washington University in St. Louis   
   Summary:   
   Depression and behavioral changes may occur before memory declines in people   
   who will go on to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to new research.   
   Researchers have known that many people with Alzheimer's experience   
   depression, irritability, apathy    
   and appetite loss but had not recognized how early these symptoms appear   
   before now.   
      
      
      
   Depression and behavioral changes may occur before memory declines in people   
   who will go on to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to new research at   
   Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.   
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   Researchers have known that many people with Alzheimer's experience   
   depression, irritability, apathy and appetite loss but had not recognized how   
   early these symptoms appear. Pinpointing the origins of these symptoms could   
   be important to fully    
   understanding Alzheimer's effects on the brain and finding ways to counteract   
   them.   
   "There has been conflicting evidence on the relationship between Alzheimer's   
   and depression," said senior author Catherine M. Roe, PhD, assistant professor   
   of neurology. "We still don't know whether some of these symptoms, such as   
   irritability and    
   sadness, are due to people realizing on some level that they are having   
   problems with memory and thinking, or whether these symptoms are caused   
   directly by Alzheimer's effects on the brain."   
   The study appears Jan. 14 in Neurology.   
   Roe and her colleagues at the university's Charles F. and Joanne Knight   
   Alzheimer's Disease Research Center analyzed data on 2,416 people ages 50 and   
   older. Scientists regularly evaluated the participants for up to seven years,   
   including how they    
   performed in extensive tests of mental function and psychological health.   
   All of the participants were cognitively normal at the start, but over the   
   course of the study, 1,218 of them developed dementia.   
   Those who developed dementia during the study were more likely to have mood   
   and behavioral changes first. For example, four years into the study, 30   
   percent of those who would go on to develop dementia had developed depression.   
   In comparison, after the    
   same period of time, only 15 percent of those who did not develop dementia   
   during the study had become depressed. In addition, those who would go on to   
   develop dementia were more than 12 times as likely to have delusions than   
   those who did not develop    
   dementia.   
   Alzheimer's researchers have been working to develop markers they can use to   
   diagnose disease before the onset of dementia. The hope is to begin treating   
   the condition before patients develop dementia.   
   However, Roe cautioned that the mood changes will not work well as markers in   
   this regard until researchers better understand how these changes are   
   connected to the disease.   
   Story Source:   
   The above story is based on materials provided by Washington University in St.   
   Louis. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.   
   Journal Reference:   
   Masters MC, Morris JC, Roe CM. "Noncognitive" symptoms of early Alzheimer   
   disease. Neurology, January 2015 DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001238 1526-632X   
   Cite This Page:   
   MLA APA Chicago   
   Washington University in St. Louis. "Depression, behavioral changes may   
   precede memory loss in Alzheimer's." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 January   
   2015. .   
      
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