Self- and informant ratings of personality in mild cognitive impairment, reviewed

Subjective working memory predicts objective memory in cognitively normal aging: a HUNT study

BACKGROUND

Recent studies have shown that subjective memory is multi-, rather than uni-dimensional, in line with the results of objective memory tests. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between aspects of memory measured by the subjective Meta-Memory Questionnaire (MMQ) and aspects of memory measured by the objective Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III) tests in cognitively normal older adults.

METHOD

The study subjects (n = 106) were cognitively normal, were aged 57-89 years and had participated in the third wave of the North-Trøndelag Health survey (HUNT3). All subjects had completed the MMQ, the WMS-III and the WAIS-III. Previous results from the MMQ (measured as the total MMQ score; the Component I score, related to long-term explicit declarative memory; and the Component II score, related to working/short-term memory) were compared with objective results from WMS-III (Logical Memory) and WAIS-III (Vocabulary and Letter-Number Sequencing) subtests. We conducted linear regression analyses with each objective memory test result as the dependent variable, and subjective memory measures and demographics as independent variables, as well as analyses of MMQ items vs. objective memory.

RESULTS

Subjective working memory impairment (Component II) was significant related to poor performance in objective episodic memory, according to correlation and regression analyses with demographic covariates. In contrast, ratings of impaired subjective declarative memory (Component I) were not related to poor objective memory performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Specific aspects of subjective memory related differentially to performance in specific objective memory tests. Clinicians and researchers might consider targeting working memory aspects of subjective memory tests, when seeking an estimate of objective memory performance.

A review of amnestic MCI screening in east/southeast Asian older adults with low education: implications for early informant-clinician collaboration

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to review the recent literature on established cognitive tests and appropriate screening methods for amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in East/Southeast Asian older adults with a focus on those with low education.

DESIGN

Peer-reviewed empirical studies conducted in Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan) were identified using databases in psychology and medicine with combinations of the search terms "mild cognitive impairment," "dementia," "screening," "literacy," "illiteracy," "low education," "informant," "family," "cognitive test," "memory complaints," "activities of daily living," and "clinical dementia rating," limiting articles to those published in English since 1 January 2002. Of note, is that the term "amnestic mild cognitive impairment" was not used for searching the articles because the related cognitive impairment were often categorized non-specifically as MCI, but participants included those with amnestic cognitive challenges. Hence, the general term "MCI" has been used often throughout the text.

RESULTS

Twelve studies that examined MCI screens were identified. An integrative approach using a combination of cognitive test and informant-based measure may be more sensitive or accurate than using any single screening method alone.

CONCLUSION

MCI misdiagnosis may be prevalent, highlighting the need for early collaborative work between informants and clinicians to improve the accuracy of this diagnosis in older Asian adults with low education. Findings were suggestive, although restricted in generalizability even within similar cultural groups or neighboring regions. Clinical application is limited, but some findings provide guidance for future research.

Correlates of Subjective and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Depressive Symptoms and CSF Biomarkers

Aims

To improve early diagnosis of dementia disease, this study investigates correlates of cognitive complaints and cognitive test performance in patients with subjective (SCI) and mild (MCI) cognitive impairment.

Methods

Seventy patients from a memory clinic, aged 45-79, with a score of 2 (n = 23) or 3 (n = 47) on the Global Deterioration Scale, were included. CSF biomarkers [Aβ₄₂, total tau (T-tau) and phosphorylated tau (P-tau)], depressive symptoms, cognitive performance, and complaints were examined.

Results

Correlation analysis showed that cognitive complaints increased with decreasing cognitive performance in SCI and decreased with decreasing performance in MCI. Linear regression models revealed that cognitive complaints were associated with depressive symptoms in both groups of patients, while cognitive performance was associated with CSF Aβ₄₂ and P-tau in SCI and with T-tau and P-tau in MCI.

Conclusion

These results suggest that depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive complaints, while degenerative changes are associated with objective cognitive decline in high-risk predementia states.