Demographic characteristics and neuropsychological assessments of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) (plus)

Abstract

Background: Since SCD (plus) was standardized, little is known about its demographic characteristics and its outcomes of neuropsychological assessments, including the SCD questionnaire 9 (SCD-Q9). Objective: To characterize SCD (plus) by comparing the neuropsychological features among its subgroups and with normal controls (NC). Also, to explore its demographics and to understand the relation of the chief complaints and the scores of SCD-Q9. Methods: Multistage stratified cluster random sampling was conducted to select participants. As a result, 84 NC and 517 SCD (plus) were included. SCD (plus) was further classified into several subgroups (SCD-C: concerned cognitive decline; SCD-F: complaints about SCD within the past five years; SCD-P: feeling performance being not as good as their peers; SCD+: presented> 3 of SCD (plus) features; SCD-: presented ≤ 3 of SCD (plus) features (see the diagnostic criteria for the details)) and between-group comparisons of neuropsychological scores were conducted. Pomit-biserial correlation and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the demographic characteristics of its subgroups. Finally, Spearman correlation was used to better understand the relation of SCD (plus) to SCD-Q9. Results: (1) Scores of AVLT-LR (AVLT-LR: Auditory Verbal Learning Test-Long Delayed Recall) and MoCA-B (MoCA: Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic) were lower in the SCD-P group than those in the NC group, and the SCD+ group scored lower in the MoCA-B and CDT(CDT: Clock Drawing Test) than the SCD-group. (2) Females were more concerned than male participants. Individuals with lower education level felt that their cognitive performance were worse than their peers. Also, younger people might express concerns more than the more elderly. People who had complaints of SCD-P might be more likely to report SCD-C, but less likely to report SCD-F. (3) Positive correlations were found between the chief complaints of SCD (plus) and some items of SCD-Q9. Conclusions: SCD (plus) may be related to demographic factors. Individuals with SCD (plus) already exhibited cognitive impairment, which can be detected by SCD-Q9.

Gender differences in cognitive reserve: implication for subjective cognitive decline in women

“…In the men group, we found that the higher the cognitive reserve, the worse the complaint. This result is in contrast with previous studies reporting that less-educated individuals showed a higher grade of cognitive complaint [48,49]. This discrepancy could be due to the different cognitive reserve proxies included in our regression model.…”

“…First of all, the severity of complaints was higher in women compared to men. This finding is in line with previous studies on SCD, which demonstrated that women concern more than men about memory loss [13,16,48]. In the men group, we found that the higher the cognitive reserve, the worse the complaint.…”

Towards the development of a management protocol for Subjective Cognitive Decline: insights from a cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of multimodal data from a memory clinic

“…This suggests that while depressive symptoms may not drive the onset or severity of SCD, they influence the SCD cognitive profile. This supports prior findings of a synergistic relationship between SCD and depressive symptoms, rather than a direct cause-effect link [51].…”

“…Demographic characteristics and APOE ε4 proportions in our sample align with previous memory studies [49,50]. Women constituted more than twice the number of men, consistent with prior research [51], and exhibited younger age, lower education levels, more severe SCD, and higher rates of depressive symptoms and sleep disorders. Conversely, men had a higher proportion of APOE ε4, suggesting that SCD in women may be linked to reversible causes (mood or sleep disturbances), while in men it may be more associated with underlying pathological processes.…”

Towards the development of a management protocol for subjective cognitive decline: Insights from a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of multimodal data from a memory clinic

“…This supports prior findings of a synergistic relationship between SCD and depressive symptoms, rather than a direct cause-effect link. 49 Benzodiazepine use had a notable impact on SCD severity, consistent with earlier studies. 12 As expected, benzodiazepine use is also strongly associated with sleep disorders.…”