Exploring the impact of anxiety and depression symptoms on cognitive functions throughout aging

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: Examine the correlation between depressive and anxiety symptoms and cognitive performance across adulthood, with particular attention to differences observed across age groups. Methods: 154 participants (45 young adults, 61 middle-aged adults, and 48 older adults) underwent neuropsychological assessment to evaluate cognitive performance and psychopathological symptomatology. Multivariate analyses were conducted with age group as the between-subject factor and sex and years of education as covariates. Partial correlations, controlling for sex and education, were used to examine the associations between emotional symptoms and cognitive performance in the total sample and by age group. Results: Young and middle-aged adults outperformed older adults across multiple domains, confirming the pattern of age-related cognitive decline. No significant differences were found in verbal fluency. Depressive and anxiety symptoms did not differ significantly between groups. Correlational analyses revealed no significant associations between depressive symptoms and cognitive performance in any group. Anxiety symptoms were negatively associated with executive functions and global cognition in the total sample, and these associations were stronger among older adults, extending to marginal associations with visuospatial working memory and cognitive flexibility. Conclusion: These findings suggest that anxiety symptoms, even below diagnostic thresholds, can negatively impact cognitive functioning, highlighting a modifiable vulnerability factor. Subclinical depressive symptoms showed no measurable impact. The results underscore the importance of investigating anxiety symptoms as a potential risk factor for cognitive performance across the lifespan and of developing strategies to promote cognitive health and preserve autonomy.