Are subjective memory complaints indicative of objective cognitive decline or depressive symptoms? Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

AbstractDecades of research have investigated the impact of clinical depression on memory, which has revealed biases and in some cases impairments. However, little is understood about the effects of sub-clinical symptoms of depression on memory performance in the general population. Here we report the effects of symptoms of depression on memory problems in a large population-derived cohort (N = 2544), 87% of whom reported at least one symptom of depression. Specifically, we investigate the impact of depressive symptoms on subjective memory complaints, objective memory performance on a standard neuropsychological task and, in a subsample (n = 288), objective memory in affective contexts. There was a dissociation between subjective and objective memory performance, with depressive symptoms showing a robust relationship with self-reports of memory complaints, even after adjusting for age, gender, general cognitive ability and symptoms of anxiety, but not with performance on the standardised measure of verbal memory. Contrary to our expectations, hippocampal volume (assessed in a subsample, n = 592) did not account for significant variance in subjective memory, objective memory or depressive symptoms. Nonetheless, depressive symptoms were related to poorer memory for pictures presented in negative contexts, even after adjusting for memory for pictures in neutral contexts. Thus the symptoms of depression, associated with subjective memory complaints, appear better assessed by memory performance in affective contexts, rather than standardised memory measures. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding the impact of depressive symptoms on memory functioning in the general population.

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Nonmotor-Related Quality of Life in Parkinson’s Patients with Subjective Memory Complaints: Comparison with PDQ-39

Parkinson s Disease ◽

10.1155/2020/7953032 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Alexis Lionel Jenny ◽

Antonia Meyer ◽

Ivana Handabaka ◽

Pasquale Calabrese ◽

Peter Fuhr ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Subjective Memory Complaints ◽

Subjective Memory ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Confounding Effect ◽

Memory Complaints ◽

Assessment Questionnaire

Background. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with cognitive decline, progressing from subjective memory complaints (SMC) via mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia. SMC are only measurable by an interview and thus rely on individuals reporting a subjectively perceived worsening of cognitive functioning. Cognitive decline is accompanied by a reduction in quality of life (QoL); however, the extent to which SMC manifest a reduction of QoL remains unclear. Objective. To determine the association between SMC and deterioration of QoL in patients suffering from PD. Methods. A total of 46 cognitively unimpaired PD patients (29 men and 17 women) completed PDQ-39, two assessments to measure SMC (Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) and a Self-Assessment questionnaire), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Multiple regression modelling was conducted to investigate the confounding effect of depression and anxiety. Results. The PDQ-39 domain cognitions, but not the PDQ-39 sum score, correlated significantly with the SMC Self-Assessment questionnaire (r = 0.57; p<0.001). The conducted regression model indicates a significant confounding effect of depression and anxiety (p<0.001, R2 = 0.55). Conclusion. In our study, SMC is significantly related to a reduction of cognitive QoL. In addition, we observed significant relation to anxiety and depression levels. In contrast to our main hypothesis, we found no association with overall QoL; this lack of association could be due to unstandardized questionnaires and emphasizes the need of validated tools for evaluating SMC.

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Subjective memory complaints, depressive symptoms and cognition in patients attending a memory outpatient clinic

Journal of the Neurological Sciences ◽

10.1016/j.jns.2013.07.1282 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 333 ◽

pp. e348-e349

Author(s):

J. Lehrner ◽

D. Moser ◽

S. Klug ◽

A. Gleiss ◽

E. Auff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Outpatient Clinic ◽

Subjective Memory Complaints ◽

Subjective Memory ◽

Memory Complaints

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Symptoms of depression in a large healthy population cohort are related to subjective memory complaints and memory performance in negative contexts

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291717001519 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 104-114 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

S. Schweizer ◽

R. A. Kievit ◽

T. Emery ◽

R. N. Henson ◽

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

General Population ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Large Population ◽

Healthy Population ◽

Subjective Memory Complaints ◽

Subjective Memory ◽

Symptoms Of Depression ◽

Memory Complaints ◽

The Impact

BackgroundDecades of research have investigated the impact of clinical depression on memory, which has revealed biases and in some cases impairments. However, little is understood about the effects of subclinical symptoms of depression on memory performance in the general population.MethodsHere we report the effects of symptoms of depression on memory problems in a large population-derived cohort (N= 2544), 87% of whom reported at least one symptom of depression. Specifically, we investigate the impact of depressive symptoms on subjective memory complaints, objective memory performance on a standard neuropsychological task and, in a subsample (n= 288), objective memory in affective contexts.ResultsThere was a dissociation between subjective and objective memory performance, with depressive symptoms showing a robust relationship with self-reports of memory complaints, even after adjusting for age, sex, general cognitive ability and symptoms of anxiety, but not with performance on the standardised measure of verbal memory. Contrary to our expectations, hippocampal volume (assessed in a subsample,n= 592) did not account for significant variance in subjective memory, objective memory or depressive symptoms. Nonetheless, depressive symptoms were related to poorer memory for pictures presented in negative contexts, even after adjusting for memory for pictures in neutral contexts.ConclusionsThus the symptoms of depression, associated with subjective memory complaints, appear better assessed by memory performance in affective contexts, rather than standardised memory measures. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding the impact of depressive symptoms on memory functioning in the general population.

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Incidence of Anxiety in Latest Life and Risk Factors. Results of the AgeCoDe/AgeQualiDe Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182312786 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (23) ◽

pp. 12786

Author(s):

Franziska Dinah Welzel ◽

Melanie Luppa ◽

Alexander Pabst ◽

Michael Pentzek ◽

Angela Fuchs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Potential Risk ◽

Oldest Old ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Subjective Memory Complaints ◽

Subjective Memory ◽

Memory Complaints ◽

Potential Risk Factors

Research on anxiety in oldest-old individuals is scarce. Specifically, incidence studies based on large community samples are lacking. The objective of this study is to assess age- and gender-specific incidence rates in a large sample of oldest-old individuals and to identify potential risk factors. The study included data from N = 702 adults aged 81 to 97 years. Anxiety symptoms were identified using the short form of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI-SF). Associations of potential risk factors with anxiety incidence were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard models. Out of the N = 702 older adults, N = 77 individuals developed anxiety symptoms during the follow-up period. The incidence rate was 51.3 (95% CI: 41.2–64.1) per 1000 person-years in the overall sample, compared to 58.5 (95% CI: 43.2–72.4) in women and 37.3 (95% CI: 23.6–58.3) in men. Multivariable analysis showed an association of subjective memory complaints (HR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.16–3.57) and depressive symptoms (HR: 3.20, 95% CI: 1.46–7.01) with incident anxiety in the follow-up. Incident anxiety is highly common in late life. Depressive symptoms and subjective memory complaints are major risk factors of new episodes. Incident anxiety appears to be a response to subjective memory complaints independent of depressive symptoms.

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Regional Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data Improve Screening Accuracy of Subjective Memory Complaints and Informant Reports of Cognitive Decline

Psychiatry Investigation ◽

10.30773/pi.2020.0323 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (9) ◽

pp. 851-857

Author(s):

Seon Jin Yim ◽

Dahyun Yi ◽

Min Soo Byun ◽

Kiyoung Sung ◽

Dong Young Lee

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Decline ◽

Roc Curve ◽

Brain Mri ◽

Cognitive Disorders ◽

Quantitative Mri ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Subjective Memory Complaints ◽

Subjective Memory ◽

Memory Complaints ◽

Screening Accuracy

Objective We investigated whether the addition of Alzheimer’s disease-signature region cortical thickness (AD-Ct) and hippocampal volume (Hv) obtained from brain MRI to subjective memory complaints and informant-reports of cognitive decline enhances the screening accuracy for cognitive disorders in a memory clinic setting.Methods 120 participants (40 cognitively normal, 40 MCI, 40 dementia) underwent clinical evaluation, neuropsychological assessment, and brain MRI. The Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire (SMCQ) and Seoul Informant-Report Questionnaire for Dementia (SIRQD) were applied to assess subjective memory complaints and informant-reports of cognitive decline respectively. Logistic regression and ROC curve analyses were conducted to compare the screening abilities of SMCQ+SIRQD, SMCQ+SIRQD+Hv, and SMCQ+SIRQD+AD-Ct models for cognitive disorders.Results SMCQ+SIRQD+Hv model indicated better screening accuracy for MCI and overall cognitive disorder (CDall) than SMCQ+ SIRQD model. SMCQ+SIRQD+AD-Ct model had superior screening accuracy for dementia in comparison to SMCQ+SIRQD model. ROC curve analyses revealed that SMCQ+SIRQD+Hv model had the greatest area under the curve (AUC) for screening MCI and CDall (AUC: 0.941 and 0.957), while SMCQ+SIRQD+AD-Ct model had the greatest AUC for screening dementia (AUC: 0.966).Conclusion Our results suggest that the addition of regional quantitative MRI data enhances the screening ability of subjective memory complaints and informant-reports of cognitive decline for MCI and dementia.

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Association of depressive symptoms and subjective memory complaints with the incidence of cognitive impairment in older adults with high blood pressure

European Geriatric Medicine ◽

10.1007/s41999-019-00185-1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 413-420 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Miguel Germán Borda ◽

José Manuel Santacruz ◽

Dag Aarsland ◽

Sandy Camargo-Casas ◽

Carlos Alberto Cano-Gutierrez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

High Blood Pressure ◽

Subjective Memory Complaints ◽

Subjective Memory ◽

Memory Complaints

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SUBJECTIVE MEMORY COMPLAINTS AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE: THE MODERATING ROLE OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2425 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S654-S654

Author(s):

Elizabeth A Gallagher

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Health Concern ◽

Subjective Memory Complaints ◽

Subjective Memory ◽

Memory Complaints ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Cognitive health is a rising public health concern in the U.S. Currently, approximately 5.7 million older adults suffer from Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and by the year 2050 this number is expected to increase to 14 million. Subjective memory complaints (SMC) are shown to be an early indicator of cognitive decline, and accordingly included as a clinical criterion for diagnoses of MCI, an indicator of pre-dementia states, and a research criterion for AD diagnoses. Among older adults, depressive symptoms hinder the accuracy of memory self-ratings. However, there has yet to be consensus regarding the nature of how depressive symptoms may condition the relationship between SMC and cognitive performance. The aims of the present study are to both investigate whether SMC is related to episodic memory and to determine whether depressive symptoms act as a moderator for the relationship between SMC and episodic memory among older adults. This research used nationally representative sample of 8,123 older adults aged 65 and older who completed the Leave Behind Questionnaire in the 2012 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Linear regression was performed and results showed that there was a significant main effect of SMC on episodic memory performance, in that older adults with increased SMC have worse episodic memory. There was also a significant moderating effect of depressive symptoms, in that depressive symptoms cause older adults to underestimate their memory abilities. In order to use SMC as a tool for early detection efforts it is critical to understand these complex relationships.

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