Depressive Individuen zeigen eine verminderte kognitive Funktionen | Teilnehmer, die körperlich aktiv waren, hielten jedoch eine optimale Schlafdauer bei und berichteten über einen gesunden Lebensstil insgesamt eine bessere kognitive Leistung – unabhängig davon, ob sie depressive Symptome auftraten.

From the article: Two studies conducted in China suggest that individuals with depressive symptoms tend to score lower on measures of cognitive functioning. However, participants who were physically active, maintained an optimal sleep duration, and reported an overall healthy lifestyle showed better cognitive performance—regardless of whether they experienced depressive symptoms. The link between depression and reduced cognitive function appeared to be weaker in this group. The findings were [published](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.119573) in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Depression is a mental health disorder characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and diminished ability to function in daily life. Symptoms can last for weeks or months and may become chronic. People with depression often experience changes in sleep, appetite, energy, and motivation. Cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and concentration are also commonly affected.

Depressed individuals may experience slowed thinking, making it harder to make decisions or solve problems. They often display negative cognitive biases, focusing more on failures, threats, or losses than on positive information. Executive functions like planning and organizing are frequently impaired, which can interfere with work and daily responsibilities. Rumination, or repetitive negative thinking, is another common cognitive feature that can maintain and exacerbate depressive symptoms. These cognitive difficulties may persist even after mood symptoms improve.

Study author Shengli Chen and his colleagues aimed to investigate the relationship between depressive symptoms, lifestyle habits, and cognitive functioning among middle-aged and older Chinese adults. Previous research has identified several lifestyle factors that may influence the risk of cognitive decline. The researchers sought to understand how these lifestyle factors might interact with depressive symptoms.

Have depression that makes you less active, sleep worse, or live an unhealthy lifestyle?

Have you tried just not?

Thanks science!!!

Depression is going to be an umbrella term for various underlying conditions. So some people might have genetic causes, some experiential causes, and other due to poor biological health of the brain.

Your brain needs exercise, good diet and sleep to work properly. Exercise increases levels of BDNF, increases brain volume, improves brain connectivity, improves brain vascularity, improves brain mitochondrial health, lactate levels(which are healthy for the brain), etc. all of which are linked depression.

So for many they are depressed due to their brain being biologically unhealthy due to say lack of exercise. So it makes sense that depression is correlated with worse cognitive function, since it’s the poor biological health of their brain giving rise to depression and worse cognitive function.

Which explains why many studies/reviews suggest that exercise is more effective than therapy and drugs at treating depression.

>University of South Australia researchers are calling for exercise to be a mainstay approach for managing depression as a new study shows that physical activity is 1.5 times more effective than counselling or the leading medications. [https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2023/exercise-more-effective-than-medicines-to-manage-mental-health](https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2023/exercise-more-effective-than-medicines-to-manage-mental-health)

But for some people where it’s not due to the poor biological health of the brain, then they don’t have worse cognitive function. For them therapy and drugs might be more effective than exercise.