Individuals with anxiety symptoms developed Alzheimer’s disease quicker than those without them, according to a new MRI-based study.
Radiology professors at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston analyzed hundreds of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) for their findings, which will be presented next week during RSNA’s annual meeting.
The group used MRI to measure brain volumes in two regions critical to forming memories, but their biggest discovery was that anxiety proved to be independently associated with cognitive decline.
“Mild cognitive impairment patients with anxiety symptoms developed Alzheimer’s disease faster than individuals without anxiety, independently of whether they had a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease or brain volume loss,” first author Jenny L. Ulber, a medical student at MUSC, said Tuesday in a statement.
Alzheimer’s-related deaths have more than doubled over the past two decades, currently sitting as the fifth-leading cause of mortality in people over 65. And while anxiety has long been reported in those with MCI, its function in disease progression remains a mystery.
Ulber et al. gathered brain MRIs from 339 patients, average age of 72 years, with a baseline diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. Of that group, 72 went on to develop Alzheimer’s while 267 did not progress.
After looking over the scans, they found patients who suffered from AD showed significantly lower brain volumes in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. Ulber and colleagues also noted these individuals had more of the ApoE4 allele, the most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s.
More research is needed to pinpoint the exact association between anxiety disorders and cognitive decline but the authors suggested this link is an opportunity to improve screening for older individuals.
“The geriatric population is routinely screened for depression in many hospitals, but perhaps this vulnerable population should also be assessed for anxiety disorders,” Ulber added. “Middle-aged and elderly individuals with [a] high level of anxiety may benefit from intervention, whether it be pharmacological or cognitive behavioral therapy, with the goal of slowing cognitive decline.”
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.