Older people who experience stress are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System. The researchers discovered that perceived stress increases older people's chances of developing amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Perceived stress are daily hassles people experience and how they respond to such hassles.

On the other hand, aMCI is characterized by memory loss, one of the early signs of dementia that increases the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's within a few months or years.

The researchers took data for 507 people who were part of the Einstein Aging Study, a large study that recruits people 70 years and older in order to assess their health, particularly brain function, as they age. In the present study, all 507 participants did not have aMCI or dementia at the start of the assessment. They were followed for 3.6 years.

Within the duration of the study, 71 of them developed aMCI. Those who experienced higher stress levels also had a greater risk of developing aMCI. The evaluation showed that for every five-point increase in Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) scores, their chances for developing aMCI increased by 30 percent. 

Those who experienced the highest stress were found to be 2.5 times more likely to develop aMCI. Interestingly, participants belonging to this group were mostly female who went through greater depression and had less education.

"Our study provides strong evidence that perceived stress increases the likelihood that an older person will develop aMCI," lead study author Dr. Richard Lipton, vice chair of neurology at Einstein and Montefiore, said in a press release. "Fortunately, perceived stress is a modifiable risk factor for cognitive impairment, making it a potential target for treatment."

First study author Mindy Katz, senior associate at Einstein's Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, said addressing perceived stress could be an effective intervention to delay or prevent aMCI.

"Perceived stress can be altered by mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive-behavioral therapies and stress-reducing drugs," she said. "These interventions may postpone or even prevent an individual's cognitive decline."

The study was published Dec. 10 in the journal Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders.