Apathy in older adults linked to increased brain shrinkage

The research team, including Lenore J. Launer, PhD, of the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, says that past research has indicated a relationship between depression later in life and white matter lesions (WML) – small areas of dead cells – on the brain. In individuals with […]

The research team, including Lenore J. Launer, PhD, of the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, says that past research has indicated a relationship between depression later in life and white matter lesions (WML) – small areas of dead cells – on the brain. In individuals with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, apathy has been associated with increased WMLs in the frontal lobe of the brain, as well as atrophy – a reduction in brain size. This prompted the researchers to wonder whether apathy contributes to such brain changes in people without dementia or depression.