Unhappy may "brain break" Study finds long-term negative thinking linked to dementia risk

"The most important thing about being a man is to be happy"This classic line is often used as "chicken soup", but from a physical and mental perspective, it may not be unreasonableLong-term "unhappiness" is also a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and Dementia, a recent study published in Alzheimer's and Dementia, a journal of the Alzheimer's AssociationIn the study, led by researchers at University College London, long-term negative thinking was associated with subsequent cognitive decline and the pathological manifestations of Alzheimer's diseaseAccording to the team, this is "the first time that data have supported the principle that 'long-term negative thinking is a risk factor for dementia'." In recent decades, a number of psychological risk factors associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease, such as depression and anxiety, have been notedThere are hypotheses that suggest that long-term negative thinking associated with it may also play a role in the development of the diseaseTo test this, the team included 360 middle-aged and elderly peopleOver a two-year period, the subjects answered a series of questions about how they typically viewed the negative experienceThe researchers focused on their persistent negative thinking, such as reflections on the past and concerns about the futureIn addition, the subjects completed assessments of symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as cognitive abilities, including memory, attention, spatial perception, and language skillsOf these, 113 also underwent brain PET scans to assess the deposits of tau proteins and amyloid proteins, two of which are the hallmarks of Alzheimer's diseaseThe researchers observed that more people who showed persistent negative thinking experienced greater cognitive decline during the four-year follow-up, especially short-term and long-term memory loss, which is one of the early signs of Alzheimer's diseaseMoreover, they have more tau and amyloid deposits in their brainsAt the same time, symptoms of depression and anxiety were associated with subsequent cognitive decline, but not to the deposition of tau protein or amyloid proteinThe team speculates that this suggests that depression and anxiety increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, and that the reasons behind this may be long-term negative thinkingStudy author Dr Natalie Marchant, a psychiatry professor at University College London, said: "Combined with other studies of depression and anxiety associated with dementia risk, we recommend that long-term negative thinking be seen as a potential new risk factor for dementia, which may contribute in a unique way to the development of dementia." But we do not believe there is evidence that short-term setbacks increase the risk of dementiaThe team believes that long-term negative thinking may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease by affecting stress-related indicators such as blood pressure, and other studies have found that physiological stress can also lead to the deposition of tau and amyloid proteins Next, the team plans to assess whether interventions such as meditation can help reduce the risk of dementia by supporting the mental health of older people "Understanding the factors that may increase the risk of dementia is critical to raising awareness of the disease and developing prevention strategies," says Fiona Carragher, director of research and impact at Alzheimer's Society UK The findings of this study are interesting, although we need further research to better understand this Mental health may be an important tool for dementia prevention and treatment, and more research will reveal how much of a mental health impact is "