Mind Over Matter: Understanding the Relationship Between Memory Self‐Efficacy, Cognition and Brain Health in Older Adults with Probable Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

BackgroundIn our aging population, cognitive decline and brain health are critical areas of concern for healthy aging. Evidence has shown that personality factors such as self‐efficacy, one's personal perceived ability to perform a specific task, directly impacts components of healthy aging, including total brain volume. However, it is unknown whether memory self‐efficacy, specifically, might also be associated with brain function and structure.MethodsA cross‐sectional pilot study of community dwelling older women with probable Mild Cognitive Impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment score <26) were asked to evaluate their global memory self‐efficacy using two questionnaires: Memory Self‐Efficacy Questionnaire (MSEQ‐4) and the Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ). Participants were asked to complete various standardized cognitive tests: Alzheimer's Dementia Assessment Scale – Cognition (ADAS‐cog), Digit Span, Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Stroop and Trail Making Test. Participants also performed an associative memory task during an fMRI scan. High resolution T1 weighted structural imaging was obtained from a 3T SIEMENS scanner. Multivariate linear regression models were constructed for cognitive and brain health measures in relation to the memory self‐efficacy measures. Covariates of the models included age and current physical activity level.ResultsWe report that the MMQ subscale of Mistakes and Ability (MMQ‐A) was the strongest measure in accounting for variance after including covariates. The final model for ADAS‐cog accounted for 65% of the variance, with the MMQ‐A score accounting for 44%. For structural brain measures, total brain volume, white matter and grey matter volumes, the final model accounted for 70%, 98% and 13% for each of the listed measures, with MMQ‐A accounting for 52%, 63% and 9% respectively. Other measures of global memory self‐efficacy, MSEQ‐4 and MMQ subscale of feelings of contentment (MMQ‐C), were also seen to have correlations to ADAS scores and structural brain measures, but could not account for the same level of variance as the MMQ‐A.ConclusionBased on the results collected it appears that one's perceived self‐efficacy of memory mistakes and ability is associated with measures of cognition and brain health. Based on this data our research has the potential to progress into a longitudinal study of observing the relationship between changes in memory self‐efficacy and brain health and cognition, as well as progression to collaborative clinical studies in memory self‐efficacy modification for healthy aging.Support or Funding InformationFunding: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of CanadaThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.