Lack of interest in the world around us has been linked to the risk of dementia development

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have found that people prone to apathy are more likely to develop dementia. The article about this has been published in the journal Neurology.

Apathy is a condition expressed in indifference, indifference to everything that happens, lack of aspiration for anything. It may indicate depression, brain injury or schizophrenia, or may be a side effect of taking antidepressants or neuroleptics.

American scientists have decided to find out if there is a connection between this condition and dementia. They analyzed data from more than 2000 people and used special scales to estimate their degree of apathy. The participants were divided into three groups: the first group included patients with a low degree of apathy, the second - with an average degree, and the third - with a high degree of apathy. Information on dementia was obtained by analyzing hospital records of patients, information on drug intake and signs of deterioration of cognitive functions such as thinking and memory. The observation lasted for almost nine years.

It turned out that patients with severe form of apathy significantly increased the risk of dementia - by 25%. In mild form, this probability was 14%.

The results provide a better understanding of the symptoms of dementia, the authors of the study say. This may help in the development of new drugs and more effective ways to treat the disease.

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