Memory-specific cognitive complaints may be a telltale sign of dementia risk that clinicians should not ignore, according to new findings.
In research conducted as part of the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study in Australia, investigators have shown that subjective cognitive complaints can capture everyday memory problems that tests may not detect.
“Subjective cognitive complaints can be self-reported or reported by someone close to the individual,” said Katya Numbers, Ph.D., from the University of New South Wales. “They can refer to specific changes in memory ability or changes in other cognitive domains like language or processing speed.”
The study linked these complaints with a decline in global cognition over six years. This decline may predict incident dementia, particularly if the patient is depressed or anxious, Numbers reported. She and her colleagues recommend that clinicians also seek out the perceptions of family or caregivers. These “informants” can attest to the patient’s memory abilities, and any memory-specific changes that they have noticed. This will help lend credence to a suspected diagnosis, they said.
The study was published in PLOS One.
