A prospective clinical-pathologic cohort study in the US concluded that depressive symptoms have an association with cognitive decline that is independent of the neuropathologic hallmarks of dementia in the elderly. 1,764 older persons without cognitive impairment at enrollment completed annual clinical evaluations for a mean of 7.8 years. A total of 582 individuals died during follow-up and underwent a uniform neuropathologic examination. Level of depressive symptoms slightly increased during follow-up. Incident mild cognitive impairment was associated with higher level of depressive symptoms before the diagnosis. Higher level of depressive symptoms averaged over evaluations was associated with more rapid global cognitive decline not attributable to the neuropathologic markers of dementia. The findings suggest that interventions targeting depressive symptoms and psychological distress have the potential to help maintain cognitive health in old age. Source: http://www.neurology.org/美国一项前瞻性临床病理群组研究的结论是，抑郁症状与认知能力下降有关而不依赖于老年痴呆的神经病理学指标。 1,764名注册时无认知障碍的老年人完成了每年的临床评估，平均7.8年。共有582人在随访期间死亡，并接受统一的神经病理学检查。抑郁症状程度在随访期间略有增加。轻度认知功能障碍的发生与确诊之前抑郁症状程度较高有关。所评估出较高水平的抑郁症状平均值与更快速全面认知功能降低有关而非归因于老年痴呆症的神经病理学指标。这些发现提示，针对抑郁症状和心理压力的干预措施有帮助维持老年认知健康的潜力。 来源：http://www.neurology.org/
