Name: Depression Can Affect Memory—and Mirror Signs of Alzheimer's
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Depression, anxiety, and stress can have an effect on a person's memory that mirrors signs of Alzheimer's.

Exercise may help depression patients regain memory.

Depression Can Affect Memory—and Mirror Signs of Alzheimer's

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Depression, anxiety, and stress can have an effect on a person's memory that mirrors signs of Alzheimer's.

Exercise may help depression patients regain memory.

Body & Brain

Depression Can Affect Memory—and Mirror Signs of Alzheimer'sPublished: April 5, 2022Sigrid: When I failed to be able to reproduce these figures on my piece of paper and couldn't do it three times and broke down and cried, I was convinced it had to be Alzheimer's. This was the beginning. This was the beginning of the end. So when he called and said to me, I don't see any signs of early Alzheimer's, but are there other things in your life that might be causing this? I said, well, my 46-year-old daughter died of heart arrhythmia, very suddenly and unexpectedly, and it was such a shock and yes, I'm depressed.Sterling Johnson: Trying to get to her, to the depression scores. Yeah, here we are. Depression and low mood, even anxiety and stress, those things affect memory. Depressed mood can cause memory dysfunction to such a degree that it can fool some physicians into thinking it's Alzheimer's disease.Sigrid: But I thought, okay, I gotta get depression off the table if I can, and also up my game, so to speak, on exercise and things that I know might delay Alzheimer's.Personal trainer: Good, bend the elbows a little bit just like you had it.Bend the elbows a little bit.There we go. Good, bring them out. Good, chin up. Three, nicely done. It's light for you?Sigrid: I don't wanna say that because then you'll make it harder.Personal trainer: Right there, good. Good, right there, perfect. Right where the forearm and the bicep touch, good.Sigrid: The thing that's gonna make me the most determined is this scare of becoming the next in my family to come down with Alzheimer's.

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Depression Can Affect Memory—and Mirror Signs of Alzheimer's

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Determined: Fighting Alzheimer's

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