Can negative thinking lead to dementia? People with a gloomy outlook could be more likely to get degenerative illness, research suggests
- Repetitive negative thoughts, also known as RNT, could lead to Alzheimer’s
- This way of thinking can lead to a build-up of harmful deposits in the brain
- A journal has called for more research into RNT as a potential factor for dementia
People who have a persistently gloomy outlook may be more likely to get dementia, research suggests.
Repeatedly thinking negative thoughts may lead to a build-up of harmful deposits on the brain, which are linked with Alzheimer’s disease – the most common type of dementia.
The research may offer hope to those who experience occasional depressive episodes, as the team said the risks are associated more so with long periods of repetitive negative thoughts (RNT).
People who repeatedly have negative thoughts and display gloomy looks could be more susceptible to dementia as this way of thinking can lead to a build-up of damage to the brain
Lead author Dr Natalie Marchant, of University College London, said: ‘We do not think the evidence suggests short-term setbacks would increase one’s risk of dementia.’
Based on the findings published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the scientists are calling for further research into RNT as a potential risk factor for dementia.
In the study, supported by the Alzheimer’s Society, the researchers observed 292 people over the age of 55 over two years.
The participants completed questionnaires about how they typically respond to negative experiences.
Signs of depression and anxiety symptoms were also taken into account while cognitive functions such as memory and attention span were assessed.
Brain scans were used to measure the deposits of two types of brain proteins – tau and amyloid – associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Those who showed higher RNT patterns experienced more cognitive decline over a four-year period and were more likely to have harmful protein deposits in their brain, the researchers said.
However, depression and anxiety were found to be associated with subsequent cognitive decline but not with either amyloid or tau deposition in the brain.
According to the researchers, their findings suggest RNT could be the main reason why depression and anxiety contribute to Alzheimer’s disease risk, with stress indicators such as high blood pressure playing a role.
Dr Marchant said: ‘Depression and anxiety in mid-life and old age are already known to be risk factors for dementia.
‘Here, we found that certain thinking patterns implicated in depression and anxiety could be an underlying reason why people with those disorders are more likely to develop dementia.
Fiona Carragher (pictured) of the Alzheimer’s Society has called for further investigation into the link between repetitive negative thoughts and cognitive decline
‘Taken alongside other studies, which link depression and anxiety with dementia risk, we expect that chronic negative thinking patterns over a long period of time could increase the risk of dementia.’
But Fiona Carragher, of the Alzheimer’s Society, said that while the link between RNT and cognitive decline and harmful brain deposits is interesting, further investigation is needed.
She added: ‘Most of the people in the study were already identified as being at higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease, so we would need to see if these results are echoed within the general population.’