Associations between neuropsychiatric symptoms and motoric cognitive risk syndrome

We examined the association between neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), a predementia condition indicating a higher risk for dementia.

A sample of 2800 older adults (≥ 65 years) was analyzed using binomial logistic regression to investigate the cross-sectional relationship between specific NPS and MCR. Additionally, a longitudinal analysis involving 1352 adults explored whether baseline NPS predicted incident MCR risk.

Subjects with MCR exhibited higher prevalence of NPS. The most common NPS in MCR were affective symptoms: apathy (71.5%), anxiety (55.4%), and depression (45.7%). The prevalence of specific NPS in MCR was higher for hallucinations (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.23-2.51), sleep impairment (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.14-1.73), apathy (OR = 3.31, 95% CI = 2.67-4.10), delusions (OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.25-2.84), irritability (OR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.56-2.53), depression (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.49-1.98), and anxiety (OR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.62-2.28). Longitudinally, baseline apathy (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.17-2.42), depression (OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.31-2.21), and anxiety (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.23-2.31) significantly predicted incident MCR (p < 0.005).

Findings suggest that apathy, depression, and anxiety are predictive of MCR, underscoring the importance of NPS screening in identifying individuals at risk. Early detection could facilitate the development of interventions to prevent dementia.