Could Stress Raise the Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment?

People with high levels of perceived stress at baseline are more likely to develop the new onset of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a precursor to Alzheimer disease, according to a new study.

In a large community sample, the researchers followed subjects over age 70 with annual cognitive tests and neurologic examinations. Seventy-one of the 507 participants developed incident aMCI.
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They found high levels of perceived stress associated with a 30% greater risk of incident aMCI (per 5-point increase in the Perceived Stress Scale: hazard ratio = 1.30; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.58) independent of covariates.

“Stress can be measured at several levels: what happened—a major life event, such as loss of a loved one or a job, and daily hassles, such as being stuck in traffic; how the event is perceived—for example, as overwhelming or manageable; and the biological consequences—changes in hormones or blood pressure—of the event,” said lead author Mindy J. Katz, MPH, of the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

“The evidence suggests that perception of events is more important than the events themselves in predicting biological consequences and future health,” she continued. “We believe that how events are appraised has a major effect on health consequences. This is good news because perception of stressful events is amenable to intervention.”

Effective approaches for reducing stress include cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based meditation, yoga, and biofeedback, said Katz, adding these treatments help people to plan better and modify the perception and consequences of stressful events when they occur.

“Understanding of the effect of perceived stress on cognition may lead to intervention strategies that prevent the onset of aMCI and Alzheimer dementia,” the researchers concluded.

-Mike Bederka

Reference:

Katz MJ, Derby CA, Wang C, et al. Influence of perceived stress on incident amnestic mild cognitive impairment: results from the Einstein Aging Study. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. December 11, 2015. [epub ahead of print].