Age and thinking problems linked to dementia in essential tremor
Dementia developed in 34.3% of participants with mild thinking difficulties at enrollment, compared with 6.8% with normal thinking skills, over up to 7.5 years.
Our read
Populations- Studied:
- Cohort study of 284 adults with essential tremor, against participants with normal thinking skills
- What changed:
- Dementia developed in 34.3% of participants with mild thinking difficulties, compared with 6.8% with normal thinking skills
- The catch:
- Only 29 participants developed dementia
- In the record:
- The 1,576th paper on mild cognitive impairment with results in people; 6,994 on record in all. Its result on dementia agrees with 16 of 17 other findings on record; 1 found no change.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Among 284 adults with essential tremor, a condition that causes involuntary shaking, a prospective observational study tracked who developed dementia. Their average age was 78.4, 62% were women, and none had dementia at enrollment. Assessments occurred about every 18 months for up to 7.5 years.
Older age, mild thinking difficulties, poorer daily functioning, walking difficulties, lower confidence in balance and more depressive symptoms were linked to later dementia. After adjustment for age and initial thinking abilities, poorer daily functioning and depressive symptoms remained linked to dementia. Walking difficulties and balance confidence did not remain significantly linked in the full sample. The age when tremor began did not predict dementia.
Why it matters
Older people with essential tremor face heightened dementia risk. The authors suggested that depression, a modifiable risk factor, may offer an intervention point to reduce that risk.
Caveats
Depressive symptoms and daily difficulties could have reflected early dementia-related changes rather than contributed to dementia. Participants had essential tremor and had agreed to eventual brain donation; only 29 developed dementia.
The paper
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Neuro-degenerative Diseases, Jun 8, 2026, Open access
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