Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Shuttle Box Assay as an Associative Learning Tool for Cognitive Assessment in Learning and Memory Studies using Adult Zebrafish
Published on: July 12, 2021
Self and Informant Memory Reports in FINGER: Associations with Two-Year Cognitive Change
Laura Vaskivuo1,2, Laura Hokkanen2, Tuomo Hänninen3
1Public Health Promotion Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
Background:
Subjective memory complaints (SMCs) may be the first sign of cognitive decline in aging.
Objective:
To examine whether SMCs reported by oneself and informant predict cognitive change over 2 years among at-risk elderly people, and to determine the relationship of different types of SMCs (prospective and retrospective memory complaints) and change in cognitive function.
Methods:
This investigation is part of the FINGER project, which is a multicenter randomized controlled trial aiming at preventing cognitive decline in cognitively healthy older adults with increased risk of dementia. A subsample of 303 control-group participants (aged 60-80 years) and their informants (n = 261) rated the frequency of SMCs, using the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ). Cognitive performance was measured at baseline and at 1- and 2-year follow-up visits using a neuropsychological test battery.
Results:
Participants who reported more SMCs improved less in global cognition, executive function, and memory during the subsequent 2 years in the fully-adjusted analyses. Self-reported retrospective memory problems predicted less improvement in all cognitive domains, whereas prospective memory problems did not. Informant-reported memory problems were not linked to subsequent change in cognition.
Conclusion:
Our results indicate that self-reported SMCs, measured with PRMQ, predict future cognitive change in several cognitive domains. By contrast, reports by informants were not linked to changes in cognition. Among cognitively healthy at-risk elderly individuals, the persons themselves observe more easily problems relevant for their future cognitive trajectories than their informants.
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Dissonance
Association Areas of the Cortex
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Associative Learning
Classical conditioning, also known...
System of Memory
Working Memory
Global Climate Change

