Self-Reported Memory Complaints May Predict Impairments Later in Life

New research conducted by scientists at the University of Kentucky’s Sander’s-Brown Center on Aging suggests that people who notice their memory slipping may be predicting clinical memory impairment later in life. During the study, 531 participants with an average age of 73 (and free of dementia) were asked if they had noticed any changes in their memory in the prior year. The participants were also given annual memory and thinking tests for an average of 10 years. After death, participants’ brains were examined for evidence of Alzheimer’s disease. During the study, 56 percent of the participants reported changes in their memory, at an average age of 82. The study found that participants who reported changes in their memories were nearly three-times more likely to develop memory and thinking problems. About one in six people developed dementia during the study, and 80 percent of those first reported memory changes. “What’s notable about our study is the time it took for the transition from self-reported memory complaint to dementia or clinical impairment — about 12 years for dementia and nine years for clinical impairment — after the memory complaints began,” said the study’s lead author. To read more about this study, click here.