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Geriatric depression and dementia have been linked, but only in studies assessing patients for depression at one point and for dementia later. In this study, researchers measured cognition and depression in 2488 nondemented people (mean age, 74), who then completed depressive-symptom self-reports 1, 3, 4, and 5 years later. For the following 6 years, the investigators then identified the new onset of dementia as indicated by medical records, prescription of dementia medications, or significant decline in mental status examination score.
Depressive symptoms followed three trajectories: consistently minimal symptoms (62% of participants); moderate and increasing symptoms (32%); and high, clinically significant symptom scores that increased fur…