Clinical Manifestations

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) are linked to hippocampal changes and increased risk for preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• Individuals with SCC experiencing distress (
• worried
• ) may represent a distinct subgroup at higher risk.
• This study investigated differences between worried and non-worried individuals with SCC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare hippocampal task performance and volumetrics between worried and non-worried individuals with SCC.
• To determine if mood and/or motivation influence cognitive performance in these groups.
• To explore potential links between SCC worry and preclinical AD indicators.

Main Methods:

• 154 adults with SCC were divided into "worried" (N=76) and "non-worried" (N=78) groups.
• Cognitive assessments included hippocampal-based tasks (ARENA, MST).
• Mood (BDI-II, AS, STAI) and hippocampal volumetrics were analyzed using ANCOVAs and t-tests.

Main Results:

• The worried group performed significantly worse on spatial navigation (ARENA) tasks but not on pattern separation (MST).
• No significant differences in hippocampal volume were found between groups.
• Worried individuals reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and apathy, with apathy partially mediating ARENA performance differences.

Conclusions:

• Worry about SCC in older adults is associated with increased mood and motivation symptoms, impacting cognitive task performance.
• The spatial navigation task (ARENA) may be sensitive to cognitive changes related to mood, potentially reflecting early AD.
• The findings suggest that the "worried" SCC group might represent individuals experiencing preclinical AD changes.