Influence of Subjective Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Cognition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 3316

Special Issue Editors

Department of Biological and Health Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Interests: neuropsychology; aging; cognitive impairment; dementia; prevention; early detection
Department of Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Processes and Speech Therapy, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain
Interests: cognitive processes; experimental psychology; dementia; cognitive impairment; cognitive intervention

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) refers to a self-experienced, persistent decline in cognitive function compared to a previous normal status. It is independent of objective performance on cognitive tests. This concept has gained outstanding prominence in neurodegenerative research in the last decade as it is considered as a very early sign of Alzheimer´s Disease (AD). The research criteria of the National Institute on Aging Alzheimer’s Association (NIA-AA) now include SCD within the preclinical phase of AD, years before the presence of significant cognitive impairment is detected by standardized neuropsychological assessment. As a result, individuals reporting SCD have become potential targets in studies and clinical trials focused on early diagnosis, disease course prediction and treatment of AD, which are hot topics in current research. 

However, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence in favor of its clinical value, SCD is a relatively new concept and there are still many unanswered questions. In this Special Edition, Behavioral Sciences aims to address the following issues, among others:

  • Prevalence, characterization, and influence of specific variables on the expression of SCD.
  • Assessment procedures in SCD, including the design and psychometric validation of scales.
  • Association between SCD and standard correlates of dementia (e.g., biomarkers, neuroimaging, genetics, neuropsychological testing, etc.).
  • Temporal dynamics of SCD across the AD continuum.
  • Usefulness of SCD as a predictor of future cognitive impairment. 

In this Special Edition, we invite original articles, reviews, and commentaries covering a broad range of fields, such as epidemiology, gerontology, neurology, neuropsychology, and neuroimaging, to provide a multidisciplinary update on SCD. Manuscripts that involve different settings (clinical or community-based), methodologies (observational or experimental), approaches (cross-sectional or longitudinal), and samples (young or older adults) are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Miguel Á. Fernández Blázquez
Prof. Dr. José M. Ruiz-Sánchez De León
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • subjective cognitive decline
  • aging
  • mild cognitive impairment
  • dementia
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • early detection
  • cognitive assessment
  • prevention

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 864 KiB  
Article
The Relationship between Handgrip Strength, Timed Up-and-Go, and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older People during COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions
by Jiranan Griffiths, Mathuramat Seesen, Wachiranun Sirikul and Penprapa Siviroj
Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13050410 - 14 May 2023
Viewed by 1419
Abstract
The COVID-19 lockdown restrictions affected physical performance and cognitive function in older people as they were confined to their homes. There is an association between physical and cognitive functions. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a condition that risks progressing to dementia. This study [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 lockdown restrictions affected physical performance and cognitive function in older people as they were confined to their homes. There is an association between physical and cognitive functions. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a condition that risks progressing to dementia. This study aimed to identify the relationship between handgrip strength (HGS), Timed Up-and-Go (TUG), and MCI in older people during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The cross-sectional study recruited 464 eligible participants for an interview and anthropometric measurement. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic (MoCA-B), HGS, and TUG were measured in addition to demographic and health characteristics. A total of 398 participants (85.8%) were found to have MCI when screened with the MoCA-B. Their mean age was 71.09 ± 5.81 years. Forward multiple regression analysis demonstrated that HGS (β = 0.032, p < 0.001), education level (β = 2.801, p < 0.001), TUG (β = −0.022, p = 0.013), Thai Geriatric Depression Score, TGDS (β = −0.248, p = 0.011), and age (β = −1.677, p = 0.019) were associated with MCI. A decrease in HGS and an increased TUG might allow for the early detection of MCI and promote physical training in order to reduce the risk of MCI. Further studies can investigate multidomain indicators for MCI, for example, fine motor skills and pinch strength as components of the motor abilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Influence of Subjective Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease)
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13 pages, 1018 KiB  
Article
The Use of Executive Fluency Tasks to Detect Cognitive Impairment in Individuals with Subjective Cognitive Decline
by Joël Macoir, Pascale Tremblay and Carol Hudon
Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 491; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12120491 - 02 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1421
Abstract
Objective: Although evidence has indicated that subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the objectification of cognitive impairment in SCD is challenging, mainly due to the lack of sensitivity in assessment tools. The present study investigated the [...] Read more.
Objective: Although evidence has indicated that subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the objectification of cognitive impairment in SCD is challenging, mainly due to the lack of sensitivity in assessment tools. The present study investigated the potential contribution of two verbal fluency tasks with high executive processing loads to the identification of cognitive impairment in SCD. Methods: A total of 60 adults with SCD and 60 healthy controls (HCs) performed one free action (verb) fluency task and two fluency tasks with more executive processing load—an alternating fluency task and an orthographic constraint fluency task—and the results were compared. Result: In the free action fluency task, the performance of the participants with SCD and the HCs was similar. However, HCs performed significantly better than SCD in the alternating fluency task, which required mental flexibility, and the orthographic constraint fluency task, which required inhibition. Discussion: The study findings suggest that verbal fluency tasks with high executive processing load could be useful in detecting cognitive deficits at the preclinical stage of AD. The inclusion of such tests in assessment batteries should be considered in order to improve the detection of subtle cognitive impairment in preclinical major neurocognitive disorder populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Influence of Subjective Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease)
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