4th Edition 2026

A new study finds that depression is associated with a higher risk of developing dementia in both midlife and later years.

Published on: May 29, 2025

The new research, published in eClinicalMedicine, was led by Jacob Brain and Maha Alshahrani from the Institute of Mental Health and the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, the University of Adelaide, and the Dementia Centre of Excellence at Curtin University in Australia.

Jacob Brain explained:
Our findings reveal that depression is associated with an increased risk of dementia in both midlife and later life. This underscores the need to identify and treat depression throughout a person’s life—not only to support mental health, but also as part of a wider effort to safeguard brain health. Public health strategies should prioritize brain health prevention by expanding access to effective mental health care.

With over 57 million people affected by dementia worldwide and no current cure, addressing modifiable risk factors like depression is a critical public health goal.

The connection between depression and dementia is complex and may involve chronic inflammation, dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, vascular changes, imbalances in neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors, as well as shared genetic and behavioral risk factors.

While past studies have indicated that depression increases the likelihood of developing dementia later in life, questions remained about the timing—whether depression in midlife (40s–50s) or in later life (60s and beyond) posed a greater risk.

This new study synthesizes existing research and incorporates fresh analysis to investigate the timing of depression's impact on dementia risk more thoroughly.

Our results suggest that late-life depression may not only be a risk factor for dementia but also an early symptom of its onset. By clarifying when depression matters most, this work informs future research, treatment approaches, and preventative strategies, said lead author Jacob Brain.

The researchers conducted an umbrella review and meta-analysis—first collecting and evaluating the highest-quality evidence from prior systematic reviews and meta-analyses that explored the depression-dementia link. They then went further, reanalyzing data from the individual studies within those reviews and incorporating more recent studies that had not been previously included.

Source: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/depression-and-dementia-study

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