Subjective Experiences of Decline and Dementia Risk: Cognitive, Functional, and Emotional Predictors of Cognitive Decline

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will explore the association between subjective experiences of decline—cognitive, functional, emotional, and otherwise—and the risk of dementia or cognitive decline in older adults. Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) has gained attention as a potential early marker for dementia, yet the role of subjective complaints extends beyond cognition. Functional limitations, emotional well-being, and other personal perceptions of decline (i.e., self-perceptions of ageing, purpose in life, etc.) may also serve as early indicators of disease progression, warranting further investigation. This Special Issue aims to gather research that explores the predictive power, validity, and practical applications of older adults’ subjective experiences in assessing dementia risk. Contributions may include studies on the diagnostic utility of subjective complaints, approaches to improving predictive models with subjective data, the utility of informant-reported subjective decline, and exploration of barriers in using self-reported complaints across different cohorts. By focusing on these areas, we hope to advance understanding and standardization of subjective complaints as indicators for early intervention.

Dr. Katya Numbers
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Diagnostics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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.