Interactions between subjective memory complaint and objective cognitive deficit on memory performances.

BACKGROUND: Subjective memory complaint (SMCs) is a common trait amongst older population. The subjective cognition about their memory could depend on objective cognition. The aim of the current study was to examine the interaction between subjective memory cognition (i.e., SMC) and objective cognition on cognitive functions in participants from older generation. METHODS: A total of 219 patients, 181 normal control (NC) patients and 38 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), were examined through standardized and comprehensive clinical evaluation and neuropsychological assessment. The Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire was used to assess SMCs along with five cognitive tasks were used to evaluate cognitive decline over following areas: verbal memory, visuospatial memory, attention, fluency, and language. RESULTS: The results of 2 × 2 two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that there were significant interactions between SMCs and cognitive status (NC, MCI) on memory performances. NC with SMCs showed significantly lower performance in verbal memory and visuospatial memory compared to NCs without SMCs. Conversely, no effect was observed in the MCI group. CONCLUSION: There are interactions between subjective cognition (i.e., SMC) and objective cognition (i.e., cognitive status) on memory performances in older adults. The roles of SMCs on memory performances should be interpreted with older adults' objective cognitive status.

Neural predictors of cognitive improvement by multi-strategic memory training based on metamemory in older adults with subjective memory complaints.

Previous studies have indicated that memory training may help older people improve cognition. However, evidence regarding who will benefit from such memory trainings has not been fully discovered yet. Understanding the clinical and neural inter-individual differences for predicting cognitive improvement is important for maximizing the training efficacy of memory-training programs. The purpose of this study was to find the individual characteristics and brain morphological characteristics that predict cognitive improvement after a multi-strategic memory training based on metamemory concept. Among a total of 49 older adults, 39 participated in the memory-training program and 10 did not. All of them underwent brain MRIs at the entry of the training and received the neuropsychological tests twice, before and after the training. Stepwise regression analysis showed that lower years of education predicted cognitive improvement in the training group. In MRI, thinner cortices of precuneus, cuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus and higher white matter anisotropy of the splenium of corpus callosum predicted cognitive improvement in the training group. Old age, lower education level and individual differences in cortical thickness and white matter microstructure of the episodic memory network may predict outcomes following multi-strategic training.

Interpersonal trauma moderates the relationship between personality factors and suicidality of individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more prone to suicidal ideation and behavior. While those who have experienced interpersonal trauma exhibit more suicidality than those who have experienced non-interpersonal trauma, it is unclear how the traumatic effects are related to an individual's personality characteristics. This study examined the association between interpersonal trauma and personality factors with suicidality, and elucidated the moderating role of interpersonal trauma in individuals with PTSD. The study included 6,022 participants from the Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study 2011. The Korean Version of Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used for the survey, including the participants' history of suicidality, the traumas they have experienced, and their PTSD symptoms. The 11-item version of the Big Five Inventory (BFI-11) was used to assess the participants' personality factors. 76 individuals were diagnosed with PTSD, while 810 had been exposed to trauma but were not diagnosed with any DSM-IV mental disorder. Among the individuals with PTSD, those who had experienced interpersonal trauma were more likely to have suicidal ideation than those who had experienced non-interpersonal trauma (p = .020; odds ratio [OR] = 3.643; 95% confidence interval of OR = [1.226, 10.825]). High agreeableness and conscientiousness predicted less suicidality in those exposed to non-interpersonal trauma, while predicting more suicidality in those exposed to interpersonal trauma. Clinicians examining individuals with PTSD should pay closer attention to the trauma that they have experienced, as well as their personality factors, to provide appropriate treatment.

The Korean Size/Weight Attribute Test: A Semantic Knowledge Test for Korean Older Adults and Brain-Imaging Evidence.

BACKGROUND: A standardized tool for evaluating semantic knowledge of the Korean population is needed. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop a neuropsychological test for the evaluation of semantic knowledge in the Korean elderly population. METHODS: The Korean version of the Size/Weight Attribute Test (SWAT-K) was developed in reference to the original version. The diagnostic validity of SWAT-K was evaluated with 95 elderly outpatients [67 normal controls; 18 with Alzheimer's disease (AD); 10 with semantic-variant progressive aphasia (SV-PPA)]. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was employed to examine associations between SWAT-K scores and morphological changes of the brain. RESULTS: SWAT-K could discriminate the three subject groups (normal >AD, p <  0.001; AD >SV-PPA, p = 0.040), whereas Boston Naming Test could not distinguish SV-PPA from AD. ROC curve analysis confirmed high levels of sensitivity (0.90) and specificity (0.93) for SWAT-K. The test's inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.827) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.666) were assessed as well. VBM found a significant positive correlation (uncorrected p <  0.005, k >  100) between SWAT-K scores and gray matter volume in right inferior frontal cortex (T = 4.08, k = 191) and bilateral temporal cortices (left, T = 4.42, k = 135; right, T = 3.55, k = 253), the areas the most affected in SV-PPA. CONCLUSIONS: SWAT-K is a sensitive and reliable test for evaluating semantic knowledge in the Korean elderly population. Strong positive correlations between SWAT-K scores and the brain areas responsible for semantic processing further corroborate the validity of SWAT-K.