According to a new study led by UCL and conducted on people over 55 years of age, having repeated negative thought patterns is linked to subsequent cognitive decline and could therefore increase the risk of dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease, due to a greater deposition of harmful brain proteins linked to the disease.
A study of people over 55 has shown that “repetitive negative thinking” (RNT) is linked to later cognitive decline and protein deposition harmful brain linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers believe that RNT should be studied as a risk factor for dementia, and other psychological tools such as mindfulness or meditation should be studied to determine if they could reduce the risk of dementia.
” Depression and anxiety in mid-life and old age are already known to be risk factors for dementia. Here we have found that certain thought patterns involved in depression and anxiety could be a reason why people with these disorders are more likely to develop dementia “Said Dr. Natalie Marchant, lead author of the study, UCL Psychiatry. ” Taken in conjunction with other studies that link depression and anxiety to the risk of dementia, we expect that long-term chronic negative thinking patterns may increase the risk of dementia. We hope that our results can be used to develop strategies to reduce the risk of dementia by helping individuals reduce their negative thinking patterns. “, She added.
This study, conducted by the research team of UCL, INSERM and McGill University, supported by the Alzheimer Society, included 292 people over 55 who were part of the cohort study PREVENT-AD and 68 people from the IMAP + cohort.
Repetitive negative thinking can increase the risk of dementia
Over a two-year period, study participants answered questions about how they manage thoughts related to negative experiences, focusing on RNT models, such as ruminating on past experiences. or worry about the future. Participants were also analyzed to see if they showed signs of depression or anxiety.
Their cognitive function was assessed, measuring memory, attention, spatial cognition and language. Some of the participants (113 individuals) also underwent PET brain scans, measuring the deposits of tau and amyloid, two proteins that cause the most common type of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, when they accumulate in the brain.
Researchers found that people with higher RNT profiles experienced greater cognitive decline over four years and decreased memory (among the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease), and that ‘They were more likely to have amyloid and tau deposits in their brains.
Depression and anxiety were associated with subsequent cognitive decline, but not with amyloid or tau deposits, suggesting that RNT may be the main reason why depression and anxiety contribute to the risk of disease. Alzheimer’s. ” We suggest that repetitive negative thinking may be a new risk factor for dementia, as it could contribute to dementia in a unique way. Said Marchant.
You may also like: Consuming flavonoids can protect you from Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers therefore suggest that RNT may contribute to the risk of Alzheimer’s via its impact on stress indicators such as high blood pressure, as other studies have shown that physiological stress can contribute to amyloid and tau deposits. ” Our thoughts can have a biological impact on our physical health, which can be positive or negative. Mental training practices like meditation could help promote the positive while downregulating the negatively associated mental patterns “Said the study’s co-author, Dr. Gael Chételat from INSERM and the University of Caen-Normandie. ” It is important to take care of your mental health, and this should be a major public health priority, as it is not only important for the health and well-being of people in the short term, but can also have an impact on your possible risk of dementia “, he added.
How to reduce RNT?
Now, the researchers are interested in finding out whether a reduction in RNT, possibly through mindfulness training, or targeted therapy, could in turn reduce the risk of dementia. Dr. Marchant and Dr. Chételat, along with other European researchers, are currently working on a large project to see if interventions such as meditation could help reduce the risk of dementia by supporting the mental health of the elderly.
” Understanding the factors that can increase the risk of dementia is essential to help us improve our knowledge about this devastating disease and, if possible, develop prevention strategies. The link shown between repeated negative thought patterns and cognitive decline and harmful deposits is interesting, although we need more research to better understand this. Most of the people in the study were already identified as being at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease. We would therefore need to see if these results are passed on to the general population and if repeated negative thoughts increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease alone. “Said Fiona Carragher, director of research and influenceAlzheimer Society.
Source: Alzheimer & Dementia
–
