Slowed movement in depression linked to Parkinson’s risk
For later Parkinson’s diagnosis, the hazard ratio—comparing rates over time—was 1.57 in people with depression and slowed movement and thinking versus those without slowing.
Our read
Populations- Studied:
- Cohort study of 6,326 adults with depression, against people with depression without slowing
- What changed:
- Parkinson's diagnosis rates were higher with slowed movement and thinking than without slowing among people with depression (hazard ratio 1.57)
- The catch:
- Early Parkinson's disease could cause the slowing attributed to depression
- Why it’s aging research:
- It bears on staying healthy in midlife and later life.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
A retrospective cohort study examined electronic healthcare records from 6,326 people diagnosed with depression at age 40 or older in a large mental health service in London, UK. Researchers identified psychomotor retardation, meaning slowed movement and thinking, and linked the records to hospital diagnoses of Parkinson’s disease between 2007 and 2023. They identified 138 new Parkinson’s diagnoses.
The analysis accounted for changes in psychomotor status over time. After adjustment, slowing was associated with a higher subsequent rate of Parkinson’s diagnosis. The authors suggested that misdiagnosis alone could not explain the link and that the slowing might mark an early phase of Parkinson’s disease before diagnosis.
Why it matters
For research on later-life depression, the question is whether particular symptoms could help identify Parkinson’s disease before its diagnosis.
Caveats
The observational design could not establish cause and effect. The findings concern people diagnosed with depression at age 40 or older in one London mental health service, not younger people or people without depression.
The paper
King's College London; National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
Journal of Affective Disorders, Aug 7, 2026, Open access
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