Apathy linked with Brain Shrinkage in Elderly: Study

Seniors who are impassive and lack enthusiasm but are not depressed have higher levels of brain shrinkage than their cheerful peers, according to a study.

A research team led by Lenore J. Launer analyzed brain volume of nearly 4,354 elderly people aged 76 year on an average. The team used MRI scans to note link between age-induced structural changes and brain diseases. The participants were asked to rate their emotions and observe signs of apathy that include reduced interest and willingness to take part in activities, lack of energy, lethargy, feeling unemotional and preferring to stay at home.

It was found that over half of subjects with more than two symptoms of apathy had 1.4 percent reduction in grey matter volume.

Grey matter is related with sensory perceptions, speech, decision making and emotions. These participants also had 1.6 percent decline in white matter that is associated with cognition, information processing and connecting with different regions in the brain.

Old people experience a sharp drop in emotional sensitivity, excitement and vitality with diminution of brain areas. Experts warn these are strong pointers of brain diseases and dementia.

"Just as signs of memory loss may signal brain changes related to brain disease, apathy may indicate underlying changes," said Lenore J. Launer, a member of the American Academy of Neurology in a press release. "Apathy symptoms are common in older people without dementia. And the fact that participants in our study had apathy without depression should turn our attention to how apathy alone could indicate brain disease."

In addition, the study observed lesser volume shrinkage among participants with fewer than two symptoms of apathy. Even after separating patients with depression symptoms from the trial group, researchers recorded no changes in the brain volume results.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, dementia affects about 6 to 10 percent of individuals aged 65 and above. The annual healthcare cost of managing dementia is about $4134 per patient. 

"If these findings are confirmed, identifying people with apathy earlier may be one way to target an at-risk group," Launer said.

However, this study did have a cause and effect relation and authors believe in investigating further.

More information is available online in the journal Neurology.