Late Life Depression as a Risk Factor for Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Mediating Mechanisms and Processes

In recent years, the population of the elderly has risen in Iran. It is expected that the elderly population triple over the next 30 years. Therefore, addressing illnesses and problems of aging is a very important issue. The present study is a review of the literature on the subject of late life depression and dementia. The following issues are discussed; is there a relation between late depression and dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease? can depression be considered a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease? what are the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and late life depression?

This article discusses the link between late life depression and Alzheimer’s disease and describes the common mechanism pathways of these two pathological conditions.