SUBJECTIVE MEMORY COMPLAINTS OF THE OLDEST-OLD: SUBCLINICAL AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PREDICTORS IN THE 90+ STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: We investigated the relationship between subjective memory complaints and objective memory and cognitive test scores, while also accounting for behavioral changes, such as depression, and physiological, i.e. biomarker, evidence of underlying dementia causing diseases in an oldest-old cohort. Methods: Participants are from The 90+ Study, a population based longitudinal study of people aged 90 and older. We used data from participants who completed a 3T MRI scan and/or a High Resolution Research Tomograph (HRRT) PET scan with Florbetapir ligand. These individuals were categorized as cognitively normal or MCI based on neurological examinations during The 90+ Study. Then, we determined whether an individual had subjective memory complaints based on the question, “Do you feel you have more problems with memory than most?” A total of 201 participants were included in the study. Results: In individuals 90 years and older, the California Verbal Learning Test long delay (CVLT-LD) was found to be predicative of subjective memory complaints (P = .008), as was white matter hyperintensities (P = .02) and an increased Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) score (P = <.001). Discussion: People 90 years and older that have objective long-term memory impairment, those with changes in brain pathology and those that suffer from more depressive symptoms than their peers are more likely to notice subjective changes in their memory performance. If we can understand the significance of subjective memory complaints in the 90+ population regarding subclinical and pathological changes, then we can begin to explore their relationship to the dementing process in this quickly growing population.