Seniors Should Take Memory Lapses Seriously

If you’re like me - and my age – you may well experience memory lapses.  Usually it’s the inability to remember a name (although I can often get the first letter right), but it can also be “where did I put my keys?” or “why did I come into this room?”  This is, I’m convinced, an effect of aging that doesn’t reach the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) level.  But a study reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests we should at least talk to a health professional about it.

Harvard Medical School neurologists examined the association between the type and number of subjective memory complaints (SMCs) and the results of cognitive tests.  The subjects came from the Nurses’ Health Study, who responded to telephone cognitive assessments and seven specific questions.  There were 16,900 women, with an average age of 74.  Here are three examples of the 7 questions: “Do you have much more trouble in remembering things from one second to the next?”, “Do you have trouble finding your way around familiar streets?” and “Do you have trouble following a group conversation?”

Overall, cognitive functioning was worse in subjects who had more memory complaints.  But not all complaints were related to cognitive decline.  In the three sample questions above, a “yes” to the first but “no” for the 2^nd and 3^rd were not associated with MCI, whereas a “yes” to the last two were.  For each “positive” SMC there was a 20% increase in the odds of having MCI.

These results show that clinicians need to differentiate between the types of memory complaints their patients have.  Thus some are due to normal aging and others may possibly indicate MCI.  It’s obviously important (or will become important) to diagnose MCI early, as new treatments to slow or prevent the development of Alzheimer’s become available.