Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 29, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression
Published on: April 26, 2024
Self- and Partner-Reported Subjective Memory Complaints: Association with Objective Cognitive Impairment and Risk of
Leah Zuroff1, Laura Em Wisse2, Trevor Glenn3
1Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Background:
Episodic memory decline is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Subjective memory complaints (SMCs) may represent one of the earliest signs of impending cognitive decline. The degree to which self- or partner-reported SMCs predict cognitive change remains unclear.
Objective:
We aimed to evaluate the relationship between self- and partner-reported SMCs, objective cognitive performance, AD biomarkers, and risk of future decline in a well-characterized longitudinal memory center cohort. We also evaluated whether study partner characteristics influence reports of SMCs.
Methods:
758 participants and 690 study partners were recruited from the Penn Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Clinical Core. Participants included those with Normal Cognition, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and AD. SMCs were measured using the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ), and were evaluated for their association with cognition, genetic, plasma, and neuroimaging biomarkers of AD, cognitive and functional decline, and diagnostic progression over an average of four years.
Results:
We found that partner-reported SMCs were more consistent with cognitive test performance and increasing symptom severity than self-reported SMCs. Partner-reported SMCs showed stronger correlations with AD-associated brain atrophy, plasma biomarkers of neurodegeneration, and longitudinal cognitive and functional decline. A 10-point increase on baseline PRMQ increased the annual risk of diagnostic progression by approximately 70%. Study partner demographics and relationship to participants influenced reports of SMCs in AD participants only.
Conclusion:
Partner-reported SMCs, using the PRMQ, have a stronger relationship with the neuroanatomic and cognitive changes associated with AD than patient-reported SMCs. Further work is needed to evaluate whether SMCs could be used to screen for future decline.
Related Concept Videos
Dementia
The progression of dementia is generally gradual....
Interference and Decay
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ...
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Amnesia
The severity and duration of memory loss vary depending on the type and underlying cause. Amnesia is classified into two main types: retrograde and anterograde.
Retrograde amnesia is marked by the loss of memories formed before the onset of the condition. Patients may recall distant past events but often forget those occurring shortly before the incident.
Anterograde...

