Publications by authors named "Patricia Gracia-Garcia"

The relationship between depression, particularly major depression (MD), as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is well established; however, its precise role remains contested. Findings from the fourth wave of the ZARADEMP longitudinal study provide further insights into the association between MD and AD risk. : This study aimed to examine the association between MD and incident AD, controlling for established risk factors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examined the link between mild behavioral impairment (MBI) and dementia risk in older adults, following 4,803 individuals over 4.5 years.
  • It found that in cognitively normal participants, decreased motivation—an MBI domain—was linked to a significantly increased risk of all-cause dementia.
  • The researchers suggest decreased motivation might indicate a higher dementia risk, but more studies are needed to explore the relationship between MBI and various types of dementia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) index yields a dementia risk score based on modifiable lifestyle factors and is validated in Western samples. We investigated whether the association between LIBRA scores and incident dementia is moderated by geographical location or sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: We combined data from 21 prospective cohorts across six continents (N = 31,680) and conducted cohort-specific Cox proportional hazard regression analyses in a two-step individual participant data meta-analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose Of Review: This review summarizes recent evidence related to the cognitive trajectories of aging, the factors associated with the different trajectories, and the effect of sex on cognitive decline.

Recent Findings: Trajectories of cognitive aging identified in different studies vary in number, in the proportion of individuals falling into each of the classes and in the predictors of class membership. Trajectories observed include types with 'rapid decline', those with 'gradual decline' and those with 'maintenance of high level' of cognitive performance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to document cognitive aging in healthy individuals aged 55 and older, focusing on differences between men and women.
  • Conducted over 12 years in Zaragoza, Spain, the research involved 2,403 participants who underwent repeated assessments using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).
  • Results showed women had lower MMSE scores and greater cognitive decline than men, highlighting different predictors for cognitive aging strategies based on sex.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: There is growing evidence for an association between anxiety and an increased risk of dementia, but it is not clear whether anxiety is a risk factor or a prodromic symptom. In this study, we investigated if clinically significant anxiety increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) up to 10 years later.

Methods: We used data from the longitudinal Zaragoza Dementia and Depression (ZARADEMP) Project.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Medical students often experience depressive symptoms, and the COVID-19 pandemic likely worsened their mental health.
  • - A systematic review of studies from December 2019 to December 2020 found that about 31% of medical students reported depression during this period.
  • - The prevalence rates varied by region, with lower rates seen in Asia, especially China, but overall, the depression levels among medical students were similar to those reported in other university students.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Although alterations in the gut microbiota have been linked to the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), including through effects on the immune response, our understanding is deficient about the straight connection patterns among microbiota and MDD in patients. Male and female MDD patients were recruited: 46 patients with a current active MDD (a-MDD) and 22 in remission or with only mild symptoms (r-MDD). Forty-five healthy controls (HC) were also recruited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study reviewed data on depression levels in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to determine the overall prevalence of depression.
  • The analysis included 57 studies from 17 countries, revealing a pooled depression rate of 24% for healthcare workers, with higher rates of 25% for nurses and 43% for frontline professionals.
  • The findings highlight that while nurses and doctors experienced similar depression rates to the general population, nearly half of frontline workers faced increased mental health challenges, indicating a need for international support and intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Great inter-individual variability has been reported in the maintenance of cognitive function in aging. We examined this heterogeneity by modeling cognitive trajectories in a population-based longitudinal study of adults aged 55+ years. We hypothesized that (1) distinct classes of cognitive trajectories would be found, and (2) between-class differences in associated factors would be observed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia, linked to morbidity and mortality among elderly patients. Recently, several clinical studies suggested that depression is a potential risk factor for cognitive decline and AD. A review of meta-analyses was performed, calculating pooled odds ratios to estimate the risk of AD in people with a prior diagnosis (or clinically significant symptoms) of depression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

With the increasing size of the aging population, dementia risk reduction has become a main public health concern. Dementia risk models or indices may help to identify individuals in the community at high risk to develop dementia. We have aimed to develop a novel dementia risk index focused on the late-life (65 years or more) population, that addresses risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) easily identifiable at primary care settings.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

(1) Introduction: Dementia is a major public health problem, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent subtype. Clarifying the potential risk factors is necessary in order to improve dementia-prevention strategies and quality of life. Here, our purpose was to investigate the role of the absence of hedonic tone; anhedonia, understood as the reduction on previous enjoyable daily activities, which occasionally is underdetected and underdiagnosed; and the risk of developing AD in a cognitively unimpaired and non-depressed population sample.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Healthcare workers faced an increased risk of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the prevalence of this issue.
  • The analysis included 71 studies published between December 2019 and September 2020, revealing an overall anxiety prevalence of 25%, with 27% in nurses, 17% in medical doctors, and a striking 43% in frontline workers.
  • The findings indicate significant anxiety levels among healthcare workers, particularly among nurses and those on the frontlines, highlighting the need for further longitudinal research to understand the long-term mental health effects of the pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose Of Review: From the perspective of motivated behaviour and the so-called 'precision psychiatry', we try to identify recent advances in the neurocognitive and biological correlates of apathy.

Recent Findings: New evidence supports the notion that apathy is a common transdiagnostic and heterogeneous clinical syndrome, now conceptualized as a reduction in 'goal-directed' activity. Similarly, abundant evidence has been found related to neurocognitive correlates of apathy and the associations between clinical apathy and the processes primarily responsible for mediating motivational drive and effort-based decision making.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study reviews the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on globally heightened anxiety levels, finding that 25% of the general population reported anxiety during this period, compared to the typical 7.3% pre-pandemic rate.
  • - Researchers analyzed data from 43 studies published between December 2019 and August 2020, identifying several risk factors for anxiety such as social isolation, unemployment, and low knowledge about the virus.
  • - These results indicate a significant deterioration in mental health due to the pandemic, highlighting the need for targeted strategies to address these anxiety levels in individuals and communities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The research investigates the levels of anxiety in medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding an overall prevalence of 28%.
  • Anxiety rates remained stable in medical students compared to non-medical peers, possibly due to their knowledge about COVID-19, which helps mitigate stress.
  • A notable limitation is that the majority of included studies focused on Chinese medical students, raising concerns about how well these findings apply to medical students globally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Our primary aim was to conduct an update meta-analysis of prospective studies investigating the association between depression and dementia risk.

Methods: We searched Pubmed database to identify all relevant papers published from January 2014 to March 2019. Prospective studies with a minimum follow-up period of 1 year, baseline depression assessment, absence of dementia or mild cognitive impairment at baseline were selected.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The COVID-19 pandemic, declared on March 11, 2020, has led to significant health, social, and economic challenges, particularly affecting mental health, with a focus on depression.
  • A systematic review of community-based studies found that depression prevalence during the pandemic ranged from 7.45% to 48.30%, with a pooled average of 25%.
  • This figure is notably higher than the global depression rate of 3.44% in 2017, indicating a severe impact of the pandemic on mental health, and suggests the need for prioritizing mental health in public health initiatives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Anxiety has been suggested as a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia, but results are still controversial. Our main objectives are to develop an updated meta-analysis of prospective population-based studies on the relationship between anxiety and risk of dementia, and to estimate the population fraction of dementia attributable to anxiety (PAF). : We searched for cohort studies listed on PubMed or Web of Science from January 2018 to January 2020 that reported risk estimates for the association between anxiety and incident dementia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to estimate the relationship between anxiety and the risk of vascular dementia (VaD) using a meta-analysis of new data from a large cohort (ZARADEMP) and previous research.
  • Findings suggested that individuals with anxiety had a 1.41 times higher risk of developing VaD in the ZARADEMP study, and when combined with two other studies, this risk increased to an odds ratio (OR) of 1.65.
  • While anxiety appears to be linked to a higher risk of VaD, it's still uncertain whether anxiety causes VaD or is simply an early sign, indicating the need for more research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To assess the association between anxiety and risk of vascular dementia (VaD), as well as potential sex differences, in a community-based cohort. A random sample of 4057 dementia-free community participants aged 55 or older, from the longitudinal, community-based Zaragoza Dementia and Depression Project (ZARADEMP) study were followed for 4.5 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We tested the association of individual cognitive domains measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and disability. Cross-sectional study in a population-based cohort aged ≥55 years (n = 4,803). Sample was divided into two groups: individuals with cognition within the normal range (CNR) (n = 4,057) and those with cognitive impairment (CI) (n = 746).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examined how people with dementia navigate different healthcare systems to access specialized care across 15 countries.
  • Findings revealed that it took an average of 56 weeks from the first symptoms for patients to see a specialist, with general practitioners being the primary point of access.
  • The research highlights significant barriers to care and emphasizes the need for localized strategies to improve dementia care and treatment outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF