Abstract

Although beta-amyloid, anxiety and depression have been linked cross-sectionally to reduced memory function in healthy older adults without dementia, prospective data evaluating these associations are lacking. Using data from an observational cohort study of 178 healthy older adults without dementia followed for 3 years, we found that anxiety symptoms significantly moderated the relationship between beta-amyloid level and decline in verbal (Cohen's d = 0.65) and episodic (Cohen's d = 0.38) memory. Anxiety symptoms were additionally linked to greater decline in executive function, irrespective of beta-amyloid and other risk factors. These findings suggest that interventions to mitigate anxiety symptoms may help delay memory decline in otherwise healthy older adults with elevated beta-amyloid.

RAS ID

18791

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

1-1-2014

Faculty

Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science

School

School of Medical Sciences / Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care

Copyright

free_to_read

Publisher

Royal College of Psychiatrists

Comments

This is an author-produced electronic version of an article accepted for publication in the British Journal of Psychiatry. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is Available online at http://bjp.rcpsych.org. This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of: Pietrzak R.H., Scott J.C., Neumeister A., Lim Y.Y., Ames D., Ellis K.A., Harrington K., Lautenschlager N.T., Szoeke C., Martins R.N., Masters C.L., Villemagne V.L., Rowe C.C., & Maruff P. (2014). Anxiety symptoms, cerebral amyloid burden and memory decline in healthy older adults without dementia: 3-year prospective cohort study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 204(5), 400-401. Available here

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

10.1192/bjp.bp.113.134239