Psychological Stress as a Potential Risk Factor for Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

As the prevalence of dementia is increasing, it is important to identify modifiable risk factors that could delay or prevent dementia onset. This research investigated psychological stress (i.e., an individual’s subjective experience of stress) as a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia. The findings showed that psychological stress was associated with cognitive decline and dementia risk, but not with Alzheimer’s disease or vascular brain injury, two common causes of dementia. Overall, the findings suggest that targeting stress in lifestyle interventions could be a potential strategy to reduce dementia risk, although this requires investigation in clinical trials.