Yates Jennifer A, Clare Linda, Woods Robert T
a Division of Rehabilitation & Ageing , School of Medicine, University of Nottingham , Nottingham , UK.
b Department of Psychology , University of Exeter , Exeter , UK.
Aging Ment Health. 2017 Mar;21(3):313-321. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2015.1081150. Epub 2015 Sep 2.
Subjective memory complaints (SMC) are common in older people and previous research has shown an association with mood problems, such as depression and anxiety. SMC form part of the criteria for many definitions of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but there is controversy over whether they should be included as they may be related more strongly to mood than to objective cognitive impairment. This study aims to clarify the relationship between mood and SMC in people with MCI.
This paper reports an analysis of data from the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing study. Structured interviews were conducted with community-dwelling older people to assess a range of aspects of cognitive functioning and mood. Data from two time points approximately 24 months apart were used in this analysis. At baseline, participants without dementia or severe cognitive impairment were categorised into three groups according to cognitive status. Mood was investigated by assessing symptoms of anxiety and depression which were defined using a diagnostic algorithm. Associations were tested using logistic regression and chi square analyses.
A clear association was shown between SMC and mood, both cross-sectionally and over time. The relationship between our two competing definitions of MCI suggested that mood problems were more strongly related to the presence of SMC than objective cognitive impairment.
SMC may be a function of anxiety and depression rather than being related to objective cognitive function. This questions whether SMC should be included in definitions of MCI.
主观记忆抱怨（SMC）在老年人中很常见，先前的研究表明其与情绪问题有关，如抑郁和焦虑。SMC是许多轻度认知障碍（MCI）定义标准的一部分，但对于是否应将其纳入存在争议，因为它们可能与情绪的关联比与客观认知障碍的关联更强。本研究旨在阐明MCI患者中情绪与SMC之间的关系。
本文报告了对医学研究理事会认知功能与衰老研究数据的分析。对居住在社区的老年人进行了结构化访谈，以评估认知功能和情绪的一系列方面。本分析使用了相隔约24个月的两个时间点的数据。在基线时，没有痴呆或严重认知障碍的参与者根据认知状态分为三组。通过评估使用诊断算法定义的焦虑和抑郁症状来调查情绪。使用逻辑回归和卡方分析测试关联性。
无论是横断面分析还是随时间推移的分析，SMC与情绪之间都显示出明显的关联。我们对MCI的两种相互竞争的定义之间的关系表明，情绪问题与SMC的存在比与客观认知障碍的关系更强。
SMC可能是焦虑和抑郁的一种表现，而非与客观认知功能相关。这引发了关于SMC是否应纳入MCI定义的疑问。
