Anxiety and depression in Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review of pathogenetic mechanisms and relation to cognitive decline.
Rossana BottoNicoletta CallaiAurora CermelliLorenzo CausaranoInnocenzo RaineroPublished in: Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology (2022)
The neurodegeneration of areas and circuits dealing with emotions can elicit anxiety and depression in AD. In the early stages of the disease, anxiety and depression could arise as a psychological reaction to AD and due to coping difficulties. In late AD stages, the cognitive impairment reduces the emotional responses and their expression. Anxiety and depression are more intense in early-onset AD, due to the major impact of AD on the individual.