Late-life depression begins after age 60, and isn’t usually associated with previous psychiatric history in the patient or their family. It’s also more likely than Early-life depression to have associated cognitive impairment and physical illness. It’s believed to be a type of vascular depression. Vascular depression is caused by damage to capillaries in the lungs and brain. This leads to chronic low oxygen levels and leakage of blood in some areas of the brain. These, in turn, lead to inflammation and autoimmune activation, which can lead to depression.

An investigation published in JAMA, researchers found a relationship between exposure to air pollutants and late-onset depression in the United States. The researchers collated non-personally identifiable Medicare data on patients diagnosed with EPA data on air pollutants. The pollutants examined were PM 2.5, NO2, and Ozone (O3). The statistical examination showed that even normal levels of these pollutants were associated with independent chance increases in late-life depression of 0.91%, 0.61%, and 2.13%.

Previous studies have found air pollutants to be associated with increased likelihoods of kidney and liver disease, as well as Alzheimer’s disease. It’s also been shown that people of all ages living in areas with high particulate pollution can experience impacts on brain structure and reduced cognitive ability. Individuals should take these factors into account when choosing where to live, and governments should use them when considering air quality standards.

The image at the right is a reconstruction of Antares, the red heart-star of the constellation Scorpio from the European Southern Observatory. Antares is technically not a standard Red Giant, it’s a Red Supergiant, which has a different life- and deathcycle. In spite of these differences it still gives an exciting view of the luminous orange color of a “red” star.

The slide deck below has a basic breakdown of the end of the life of a “normal” star, such as the Sun. In fact, the Sun is an extraordinary object, but appears normal from our human perspective. An episodic breakdown will be on my TikTok channel beginning on March 6th, 2023. I’ll stitch the videos together once the the topic is complete and embed it here.

These materials are my intellectual property, but you may use them, including the video clips with attribution, either by a linkback or shoutout. Please reference The Sexy Universe or my social media channels.