Anxiety attacks can be an early symptom of Alzheimer's

Researchers are investigating the connection between anxiety and Alzheimer's

When people experience the symptoms of increased anxiety, this can be an early warning sign of Alzheimer's disease. This effect can occur years before a cognitive impairment and point to the onset of the disease.

The scientists at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found in their recent research that increasing anxiety may be an early indication of the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The experts published the results of their study in the English-language journal "The American Journal of Psychiatry".

Can point to fears of Alzheimer's?

Various risk factors increase the likelihood of people with Alzheimer's disease in their lives. These include, for example, neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression. Researchers have now found that anxiety symptoms can be a dynamic marker of the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

High amyloid beta levels can lead to anxiety

The study did not look at depression itself, but the physicians analyzed specific symptoms such as anxiety, explains author Nancy Donovan of Brigham and Women's Hospital. Compared to other symptoms of depression, such as grief or loss of interest, anxiety symptoms increased over time in patients with higher levels of amyloid beta in the brain, the expert adds.

What is amyloid beta?

Amyloid beta is a protein that has been previously implicated in studies of Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid beta forms accumulations in the brain, called plaques, which interrupt the communication between the neurons. Such disorders are considered to be the major cause of Alzheimer's disease cognitive impairment. Disruption of the brain by accumulation of amyloid-beta could also play an important role in the preclinical phase of the disease, possibly indicating the disease ten years before the first symptoms appear.

Anxiety symptoms may indicate Alzheimer's

For their study, the scientists analyzed the data of the so-called Harvard Aging Brain Study. This study included 270 healthy men and women between the ages of 62 and 90 without active mental disorders. Subjects underwent various tests and, in addition, were screened for signs of depression each year. Throughout the study, the research team noted that higher levels of amyloid beta in the brain were associated with increasing anxiety symptoms. This suggests that anxiety symptoms could be a manifestation of Alzheimer's disease before the onset of cognitive impairment, explains author Donovan.

Fears should be identified early and treated

If further research confirms the progressive fears as an early indicator, not only should anxieties be diagnosed early, they should also be treated to potentially slow or even prevent the disease process, say the physicians.

Further research is needed

Further studies now need to determine if subjects with escalating anxiety develop Alzheimer's. Investigations on emerging anxiety may be a useful tool to isolate the most vulnerable, the researchers explain. The findings of the current investigation reinforce the argument that neuropsychiatric changes may be associated with this amyloid plaque, adds author Donovan. (As)