What is cognitive decline?

Cognitive decline is simply a decrease in your cognitive functions. According to Philips (2017), your cognitive domains include your memory, attention span, speed of processing information, and function.

As we age, our brain ages with us. The neurons in our brain are constantly changing and adapting to meet the needs of our environments, termed “neural plasticity.” This process starts to slow down the older we get.

Also, brain infarcts, or tissue death, may occur in the brain. These tissue deaths are commonly seen using magnetic resonance imaging and are often described as “silent” because they can be asymptomatic (Vermeer, Prins, Heijer, et. al. 2003). Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and slowed reaction times may result from this.

While pharmaceutical treatments are available to treat cognitive decline, you can modify your lifestyle in order to prevent your cognition from declining.

For more information on Cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease

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Alzeihmer's Association

National Institute on Aging

What causes cognitive decline?

Mental health is seen in all aspects of your daily life. It affects your psychological, emotional, and social well-being. It influences how you think, feel, and act. Good mental health helps you effectively manage stress, relate to others, and make logical choices.

Factors contributing to cognitive decline are:

Biological and environmental factors
Family history/genetics
Mental well-being
Physical health

Depressive symptoms were directly associated with increasing the risk of cognitive decline. Factors that elevate depressive symptoms also contribute to cognitive decline such as: low physical activity, inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and vascular risk factors. Hypertension, diabetes, and smoking also contribute to cognitive decline (Gallagher, Kiss, Lanctot, & Herrmann, 2016).

In their study, Gallagher, Kiss, Lanctot, & Herrmann (2016), found that 60% of older adults seeking help for depression also show significant cognitive impairment.

When depression and mild cognitive decline are combined the progression to dementia accelerates two-fold. It is estimated that a reduction of 10% of the depressed population would show 326,000 less cases of dementia worldwide.