Relationship between anxiety and cognitive performance in an elderly population with a cognitive complaint

Almost half of elderly patients being consulted in memory clinics present anxiety disorders, either with or without an associated depressive syndrome. This study investigates the relationship between the level of anxiety and cognitive performance in a population complaining of memory difficulties.

The study population (n = 149) was selected from the EVATEM cohort, which included subjects aged 65 years or older. All subjects presented memory complaints and patients with depression were excluded. Anxiety level was assessed with the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. A standard neuropsychological battery, including a free and cued episodic memory test, was administered to examine the different processes of verbal episodic memory, visual memory, executive, visuoconstructive and instrumental functions.

Subjects with moderate to severe anxiety had worse performance than subjects with no anxiety in retrieval and storage processes of verbal episodic memory (respectively P = 0.004 and P = 0.02) and in visual recognition memory (P = 0.01). No relationship was found between anxiety and executive, visual-constructive or instrumental functions.

Anxiety impacts several stages of verbal memory, notably the processes of storage and retrieval, and visual recognition memory within a population having cognitive complaints. This study suggests that anxiety should be considered as a factor of memory vulnerability for patients being treated in memory clinics.