Self‐reported word‐finding complaints are associated with cerebrospinal fluid amyloid beta and atrophy in cognitively normal older adults

Abstract

Introduction Self‐reported word‐finding difficulties are among the most frequent complaints in cognitively normal (CN) older adults. However, the clinical significance is still debated. Methods We selected 239 CN from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database who had completed the Everyday Cognition (ECog) questionnaire, as well as a lumbar puncture for amyloid beta (Aβ) and magnetic resonance imaging. Results Word‐finding complaints, with a few other memory items, were significantly more severe compared to all other cognitive complaints. Ecog‐Lang1 (Forgetting names of objects) severity significantly predicted Aβ levels in CN, even when controlling for general cognitive complaint, demographic, and psychological variables. Individuals with high Ecog‐Lang1 complaints showed atrophy in the left fusiform gyrus and the left rolandic operculum compared to CN with low complaints. Discussion Overall, our results support the fact that word‐finding complaints should be taken seriously. They have the potential to identify CN at risk of AD and support the need to include other cognitive domains in the investigation of subjective cognitive decline.

Differential Patterns of Domain-Specific Cognitive Complaints and Awareness Across the Alzheimer’s Disease Spectrum

“…When relating the self-reported complaint to the informant-reported complaint (ACD score) we found that both CN groups exhibited more marked memory and language complaints than their informants, and this was not the case with executive and visuospatial complaints. This is consistent with a previous study highlighting the importance of word-finding complaints in CN, on top of memory complaints (Montembeault et al, 2022 ). The difference between self- and informant-reported complaints in CN may be consistent with the concept of hypernosognosia (Vannini et al, 2017 ), a term used when cognitively unimpaired individuals with high levels of amyloid deposition perceive a subtle decline in memory and language that their informant does not notice yet.…”

“…This may be partially related to anxiety, depression, medication intake, and age-related cognitive changes (Buckley, 2013 ). Nonetheless, many studies have demonstrated a relationship between cognitive complaints and amyloid status (La Joie et al, 2016 ; Valech et al, 2018 ; Miebach et al, 2019 ; Montembeault et al, 2022 ). Another noteworthy aspect to discuss is that our control subjects were not from the general population but were part of a cohort selected to study AD, presenting with memory complaints at inclusion, which could have affected the results.…”

“…In this context, non-amnestic cognitive complaints are less studied, but still of interest. First, patients or their families also report difficulties other than memory problems, such as language complaints or difficulty retrieving words (Rohrer, 2008 ; Montembeault et al, 2022 ), executive functioning (Valech et al, 2018 ), and visuospatial complaints (Mendez, 1990 ). Secondly, recent studies have highlighted the relevance of non-amnestic cognitive complaints in patients on the AD spectrum.…”

“…For example, in cognitively unimpaired individuals, word-finding complaints are as frequent and severe as memory complaints, and these complaints are more frequent and severe than executive and visuospatial complaints (Montembeault et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, self-reported cognitive complaints in language and executive function domains have been shown to help in distinguishing cognitively-normal amyloid-negative and amyloid-positive controls (La Joie et al, 2016 ; Valech et al, 2018 ; Montembeault et al, 2022 ). Shokouhi et al ( 2019 ) investigated whether domain-specific complaints were equally or differently associated with amyloid and tau pathology in a group of cognitively-normal elderly individuals.…”

Revue systématique des tests cognitifs validés et/ou ayant des normes de référence pour la population canadienne francophone âgée

“…En revanche, d’autres habiletés telles que les fonctions visuo-perceptives, le langage et les processus de consolidation en mémoire épisodique sont généralement relativement préservées (Cohen et al, 2019). Dans le vieillissement cognitif normal, bien que les individus puissent rapporter certaines plaintes cognitives (Montembeault et al, 2022), leurs résultats aux tests neuropsychologiques se situent tout à fait dans les limites de la normale. Ceci est en contraste avec les troubles neurocognitifs mineurs et majeurs (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).…”