[CogniScan, a new tool for assessing subjective cognitive decline: Preliminary exploration of links with...

As the population ages, the prevalence of neurocognitive disorders is increasing. Among the earliest manifestations of these disorders, subjective cognitive decline (SCD) warrants particular attention, as it may represent an early indicator of future neurocognitive impairment. To address this issue, the CogniScan questionnaire was developed. This study aimed to examine its psychometric properties and to investigate factors associated with SCD, including anxiety and depressive symptoms, personality traits, and interoception. CogniScan, a questionnaire assessing five cognitive domains (memory, attention, executive functions, language, and spatiotemporal orientation), was administered to and standardized on 61 healthy participants (mean age = 63.68 ± 6.60 years; 44 women, 17 men). Questionnaires assessing potential risk factors (anxiety, depression, personality traits, and interoception), together with a neuropsychological assessment of objective cognitive performance (memory, attention, executive functions, and language), were administered to 83 participants (mean age = 64.00 ± 6.65 years; 60 women, 23 men). Psychometric analyses generally supported the validity of the instrument. Attention-related SCD was positively correlated with anxiety and depressive symptoms (p ≤ 0.05). Neuroticism was positively associated with SCD, whereas conscientiousness was negatively associated with SCD (p ≤ 0.05). Interoception was negatively correlated with SCD (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, SCD was negatively correlated with performance on several attention and executive function tasks (p ≤ 0.05). CogniScan is a brief and easy-to-administer instrument that provides an accurate assessment of SCD. Anxiety and depressive symptoms, lower interoceptive abilities, and higher levels of neuroticism appear to be associated with greater SCD. These preliminary findings require confirmation in larger studies to determine whether these factors precede or coexist with SCD and to assess their potential relevance for preventive strategies.