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• Posted December 22, 2025

Specific Symptoms of Middle-Age Depression Tied To Later Dementia Risk

Depression in middle age has previously been linked to an increased risk of dementia.

But this relationship appears to be driven by a small cluster of six specific symptoms, rather than by depression overall, according to new research in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Focusing on these six symptoms might help people struggling with midlife depression avoid dementia later in life, researchers said.

“Dementia risk is linked to a handful of depressive symptoms rather than depression as a whole,” said lead investigator Philipp Frank, a research fellow at University College London.

“This symptom-level approach gives us a much clearer picture of who may be more vulnerable decades before dementia develops,” Frank said in a news release. “Everyday symptoms that many people experience in midlife appear to carry important information about long-term brain health. Paying attention to these patterns could open new opportunities for early prevention.”

For the new study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 6,000 middle-aged adults participating in a long-term British health study.

Depression symptoms were assessed in 1997-1999, when all the participants were dementia-free and middle-aged, at an average age of 55.

The researchers then tracked participants for 25 years, recording diagnoses of dementia up to 2023. During this time, 1 out of 10 (10%) people developed dementia.

Analysis showed that people with depression in midlife had a 27% higher risk of later dementia.

However, this risk was driven entirely by a set of six symptoms:

• Loss of self-confidence

• Difficulty coping with problems

• Lack of warmth and affection for others

• Ongoing anxiety

• Dissatisfaction with the way tasks are carried out

• Difficulty concentrating

In particular, lack of self-confidence and difficulty coping with problems were each associated with a roughly 50% increased risk of dementia, researchers found.

These six symptoms can lead to reduced social engagement and fewer brain-stimulating experiences, researchers said. 

That, in turn, can affect the brain’s ability to maintain normal thinking even when it’s been affected by damage or disease.

On the other hand, other depression symptoms like sleep problems, suicidal thoughts and low mood showed no meaningful link with dementia risk, the study found.

“Depression doesn’t have a single shape — symptoms vary widely and often overlap with anxiety,” senior researcher Mika Kivimaki, chair of social epidemiology at University College London, said in a news release.

“We found that these nuanced patterns can reveal who is at higher risk of developing neurological disorders,” Kivimaki said. “This brings us closer to more personalized and effective mental health treatments.”

However, more research is needed to confirm these findings, the team said.

Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at the U.K.-based Alzheimer’s Society, said the connection between dementia and depression is complicated.

“It’s encouraging to see this new observational study begin to unpick how dementia and depression are interlinked,” he said in a news release.

However, “it’s important to note that not everyone who has depression will go on to develop dementia, and people with dementia won’t necessarily develop depression,” Oakley added.

More information

Harvard Medical School has more on dementia and depression.

SOURCE: University College London, news release, Dec. 15, 2025