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Depression and dementia: cause, consequence or coincidence?
Bennett S, Thomas AJ.. Maturitas, 2014-05-29
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The relationship between depression and dementia is complex and still not well understood. A number of different views exist regarding how the two conditions are linked as well as the underlying neurobiological mechanisms at work. This narrative review examined longitudinal and cross sectional studies in the existing literature and determined the evidence supporting depression being a risk factor, a prodrome, a consequence, or an independent comorbidity in dementia. Overall there is convincing evidence to support both the notion that early life depression can act as a risk factor for later life dementia, and that later life depression can be seen as a prodrome to dementia. There is also evidence to support both conditions showing similar neurobiological changes, particularly white matter disease, either indicating shared risk factors or a shared pattern of neuronal damage. These findings highlight the need to examine if effective treatment of depressive episodes has any effect in reducing the prevalence of dementia, as well as clinicians being vigilant for late life depression indicating the incipient development of dementia, and therefore carefully following up these individuals for future cognitive impairment.
Key findings
- Overall there is convincing evidence to support both the notion that early life depression can act as a risk factor for later life dementia, and that later life depression can be seen as a prodrome to dementia.
- These findings highlight the need to examine if effective treatment of depressive episodes has any effect in reducing the prevalence of dementia, as well as clinicians being vigilant for late life depression indicating the incipient development of dementia, and therefore carefully following up these individuals for future cognitive impairment.
Why it matters
This review found convincing evidence that early life depression can act as a risk factor for later life dementia, and that later life depression can be a prodrome to dementia. It highlights the need to examine whether effective treatment of depressive episodes reduces the prevalence of dementia, and for clinicians to carefully follow up late life depression for future cognitive impairment.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Maturitas) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Maturitas: journal h-index 173 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 524 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 37.4 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 12.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 13 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 142 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Alan J. Thomas: h-index 81 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Newcastle University: institution h-index 932 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 24931304) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.009
- PubMed: 24931304
- Original source →
- Free full text: Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity) →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Bennett, S., & Thomas, A. J. (2014). Depression and dementia: cause, consequence or coincidence? Maturitas. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.009
Vancouver
Bennett S, Thomas AJ. Depression and dementia: cause, consequence or coincidence? Maturitas. 2014. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.009. PMID: 24931304.
BibTeX
@article{bennett2014-24931304,
author = {Bennett, S. and Thomas, A. J.},
title = {{Depression and dementia: cause, consequence or coincidence?}},
journal = {Maturitas},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.009},
pmid = {24931304},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.009}
}
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