late onset depression and cognitive impairment often occur
together suggesting a close association between them Migliorelli
it al 1905 uhenko ct til 2003 It is not known however,
whether depression leads to cognitive decline or vice versa Unrn.
30m Schweitzer l‘uckwell O‘Brien 8 Ames 2012 The literature on the interplay of depression and dementia has
always reported contradictory results Three main hypotheses to
explain the association were formulated 1 depression may be
considered a psychological reaction to eroding cognitive capacities
early in the course of dementia 2 A common underlying central
nervous system disorder may cause depression as well as cognitive
decline in elderly persons it has been shown that elderly depressed
people have more frequent and more severe white matter and
other subconical abnormalities on brain magnetic resonant images.
(3 Depression may be associated with high levels ofcortisol which
may lead to neuronal death and dysregulation ofthe hypothalamic—
pituitary—adrenal axis with as a consequence hippocampal atrophy
and cognitive decline Bugulho 2002