Open AccessActual memory as a mediator of the amyloid‐subjective cognitive decline relationship
Author(s) -
Chen Xi,
Farrell Michelle E.,
Moore William,
Park Denise C.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia: diagnosis, assessment and disease monitoring
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.497
H-Index - 37
ISSN - 2352-8729
DOI - 10.1016/j.dadm.2018.12.007
Subject(s) - psychology , anxiety , cognition , depression (economics) , cognitive decline , episodic memory , clinical psychology , neuroscience , medicine , disease , psychiatry , dementia , economics , macroeconomics
Amyloid pathology in cognitively normal adults is associated with subjective cognitive decline, potentially reflecting awareness of Alzheimer's‐related memory deficits. To clarify the mechanism underlying this relationship, we used mediational analyses to determine the role of depression, anxiety, and actual memory performance. Methods To assess amyloid deposition, we imaged 85 cognitively normal adults with florbetapir positron emission tomography imaging. Subjective cognitive decline was measured using a multidimensional instrument that assessed seven subjective memory domains. Mediational measures included assessments of actual memory performance (current and retrospective longitudinal change), depression, and anxiety. Results The relationship between amyloid and subjective cognitive decline was mediated by poorer memory performance and greater retrospective memory decline, not depression or anxiety. The mediational roles were significant for domains associated with memory function and memory‐related anxiety. Discussion In individuals harboring amyloid, self‐reported beliefs of declining memory likely indicate early self‐awareness of actual worsening function rather than depression or anxiety.