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Cambridge study finds apathy, not depression, is an early sign of dementia :
A new study, led by neuroscientists from the University of Cambridge, has identified apathy as an important early sign of dementia. The research finds apathy is distinct from depression, and offers a more accurate longitudinal association with the onset of dementia.
[...] To study this particular distinction between apathy and depression, and their relationship with dementia, the researchers looked at two independent cohorts with cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), totaling more than 450 subjects. SVD is a common age-related condition and it's the leading cause of vascular dementia, so following SVD patients for several years before dementia develops offers a good insight into the earliest pre-clinical signs of cognitive decline.
Affirming the hypothesis that apathy is an early sign of cognitive decline, the researchers reference recent MRI studies finding SVD damages specific white matter networks relating to motivation and healthy cognitive functions. This suggests as SVD progresses, an early stage of pre-dementia neurodegeneration can manifest in apathetic behavior.
"This implies that apathy is not a risk factor for dementia per se, but rather an early symptom of white matter network damage," the researchers write in the study. "Indeed, recent theoretical work proposed that certain symptoms of apathy are synonymous with defined cognitive deficits. If this is the case, then apathy may manifest early as a reduction in attention towards reward stimuli, then later, as an inability to learn or remember rewarding behaviours."
Journal Reference:
Jonathan Tay, Robin G Morris, Anil M Tuladhar, et al. Apathy, but not depression, predicts all-cause dementia in cerebral small vessel disease [open], Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry (DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2020-323092)
If you really don't care about this study, you might be in trouble...
(Score: 2, Insightful) by nostyle on Wednesday July 15 2020, @09:09PM (4 children)
Dude - ever since 1984 people have been mistaking ignorance for strength.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Thursday July 16 2020, @03:11PM (3 children)
I think Bot was referring to the fact that movies like "Gone With the Wind" are being shunned (and even removed from online movie hosts) as part of a culture that depicts black people as lesser citizens.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 17 2020, @06:04AM (2 children)
Exactly! Such folk believe that becoming willfully ignorant of the historical reality somehow makes them stronger. Hence ignorance is strength.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Sunday July 19 2020, @03:55AM (1 child)
I'm not sure if that's what they're going for. I think it's more of a power and control trip they're on. I'm concerned that by removing such things, they're actually detracting from the progress that's been made. I saw "Gone With the Wind" long ago as a kid and my thoughts regarding African-descent people were along the lines of "wow, that's a shame but I'm glad we've made so much progress". But everyone has their own perspective and at this point I don't think my thoughts matter a hill of beans to anyone.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Bot on Wednesday July 22 2020, @02:01PM
> I think it's more of a power and control trip they're on
Yep, else they would focus on the present.
As one very underrated JB song went... https://genius.com/James-brown-i-dont-want-nobody-to-give-me-nothing-open-up-the-door-ill-get-it-myself-lyrics [genius.com]
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