ARE MALNUTRITION AND STRESS RISK-FACTORS FOR ACCELERATED COGNITIVE DECLINE - A PRISONER OF WAR STUDY

We set out to test the hypothesis that severe malnutrition and stress experienced by prisoners of war (POWs) are associated with cognitive d eficits later in life. We assessed 101 former Australian POWs of the J apanese and 108 veteran control subjects using a battery of neuropsych ological tests, a depression scale, a clinical examination for dementi a, and CT. We divided the POWs into high weight loss (>35%) and low we ight loss groups (<35%). We found no significant differences in cognit ive performance between the POWs and control subjects or between high and low weight loss groups on any of the tests or in the prevalence of dementia. Scores on the depression scale showed that the former POWs had more depressive symptoms than the control subjects a decade previo usly, but the difference had diminished over time. This study does not support the hypothesis that malnutrition is a risk factor for acceler ated cognitive decline nor the theory that severe stress can lead to h ippocampal neuronal loss and cognitive deficits. Cognitive deficits in earlier studies of former POWs may have been associated with concurre nt depression.