A-206 Memory Complaints in Older Adults: Relationships Between Self and Informant Report, Objective Test Performance and Symptoms of Depression

Abstract

Abstract Objective: We explored the relationships between objective memory performance, self and informant reports of problems in daily life, and depression in elderly patients with dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or subjective memory complaints (SMC). Method: We used archival data from 100 individuals referred for outpatient neuropsychological evaluation because of memory concerns. The sample was largely White (97%), female (53%), with typical educational attainment (M= 13.25). CVLT–II Total scores characterized memory performance. BRIEF—A Metacognitive Index (MI) scores characterized examinee and informant perspectives on problems in daily life, allowing calculation of a discrepancy score between raters. PHQ—9 scores (raw) characterized depression symptom severity. Patient groups included dementia (n = 31), MCI (n = 34), and SMC (n= 35). Chi-square and ANOVA tests were the primary analyses of group relationships. Results: There was a significant difference between the dementia and SMC groups on the BRIEF–A (p < .01). Informants reported greater problems than patients in the dementia group, whereas this pattern was reversed in the SMC group. Ratings in the MCI group were minimally discrepant. Elevated depression correlated with greater self-reported cognitive dysfunction (p < .002), with depression most prominent in the SMC group. Across the sample, only informant’s report of greater problems in daily life was associated with worse CVLT–II performance (p < .001). Conclusions: We conclude that adding standardized rating scales alongside objective memory testing is informative in evaluations of memory loss concerns. Beyond collecting both patient and informant ratings of daily functioning, screening for depression is also necessary to put self-reported difficulties into context.