Anxious symptoms and cognitive function in non‐demented older adults: an inverse relationship

Abstract

Objective The goals of this study were to determine the relationship between anxious symptoms and cognitive functioning in a non-demented, community-dwelling elderly sample (N = 48), and to determine the effect of depressive symptoms upon this relationship. Methods Anxious and depressive symptoms were assessed using Symptom Checklist 90-Revised. Cognitive functioning was assessed with the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. Results Results indicated that while both cognitive functioning and anxious symptoms were within normal limits in this sample, anxious symptoms showed a significant, inverse relationship with global cognitive function [r(47) = −.400, p = .005]. In addition, specific relationships were noted between severity of anxious symptoms and visuospatial/constructional ability as well as immediate and delayed memory. With regard to the secondary objective, both anxiety and depressive symptoms together accounted for the highest level of variance [R2 = .175, F(2, 45) = 4.786, p = .013] compared to anxiety [R2(47) = .160, p = .005] and depression [R2(47) = .106, p = .024] alone. Nevertheless, neither anxious nor depressive symptoms emerged as a unique correlate with cognitive ability [r(47)= −.278, p = .058; r(48)= −.136, p = .363, respectively]. Conclusion This study demonstrates that subthreshold anxiety symptoms and cognitive functioning are significantly related even among generally healthy older adults whose cognitive ability and severity of anxious symptoms are within broad normal limits. These findings have implications both for clinical care of elderly patients, as well as for cognitive research studies utilizing this population.

Unique and Interactive Effect of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms on Cognitive and Brain Function in Young and Older Adults

“…Since moderate anxiety is associated with better performance on some cognitive measures, it appears that anxiety counteracted the negative impact of depressive symptoms on executive functioning. This is contrary to previous investigations of mixed depression and anxiety, which have shown that comorbid depression and anxiety are associated with worse outcomes, including cognitive deficits, compared to either condition alone [37, 49, 52]. This discrepancy may be due to our examination of subthreshold depression and anxiety, rather than clinical conditions.…”

“…Investigations comparing patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder typically find anxiety-related attentional biases, executive dysfunction, and memory deficits [34, 35]. In contrast, although some studies have reported a linear relationship between subthreshold anxiety and cognition in older adults [32, 36, 37], many studies in young and older adults show an inverted U-shaped function, such that an intermediate level of anxiety symptoms is associated with optimal cognitive performance, while low and high severity are related to worse functioning [16, 38, 39]. Neuroimaging studies of clinical and subthreshold anxiety suggest that increased anxiety is associated with decreased volumes in the hippocampus and other temporal regions [40, 41], heightened amygdala and insular activity and reduced prefrontal and temporal activity [42–47].…”

“…There is evidence that mixed depression and anxiety in late life is associated with worse visual memory compared to controls [48], and a longitudinal study [49] found greater decline in memory over 4 years in anxious depression compared to non-anxious depression. In another study, general cognitive status was better predicted by combined depression and anxiety than by either variable alone [37]. Similarly, studies in young adults show memory deficits in mixed depression and anxiety compared to controls [50, 51], as well as poor verbal fluency, speed, and executive functioning in depression with comorbid anxiety compared to non-anxious depression [52].…”

The Relationship Between Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mood in Older People

“…Research has found that anxiety symptoms were significantly and directly associated with depressive symptoms. In one study, taken together, symptoms of anxiety and depression were associated with a decline in cognitive function but the association did not hold for depressive symptoms alone (Stillman, Rowe, Arndt, & Moser, 2012). Therefore, studies that consider only depression or anxiety may be missing participants with milder symptoms of one mood problem that interact with symptoms of the other.…”

The effect of test anxiety on Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE): examining the role of age and basic biomarkers related to cognitive aging

“…Το εύρηµα αυτό συµφωνεί, σε γενικότερο επίπεδο, τόσο µε ευρήµατα για τη σχέση ακόµη και ήπιου άγχους µε τη γνωστική επίδοση σε υγιείς ηλικιωµένους (Stillman et al, 2012), όσο και µε ευρήµατα για τη σχέση άγχους εξέτασης και ακαδηµαϊκής επίδοσης µαθητών και φοιτητών (Chapell et al, 2005. Lowe et al, 2008.…”