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[Preprint]. 2025 Jul 14:rs.3.rs-7040277.
doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7040277/v1.

Subjective memory complaints of patients and caregivers and their association with sociodemographic and clinical factors in patients with neurocognitive disorders from Colombia

Felipe Botero-Rodríguez  1 , Juan Camilo Castro  1 , Salomón Salazar-Londoño  2 , Juanita Moreno-Contreras  2 , Maria José Bornacelly  2 , Patrick Verhelst  1 , José Manuel Santacruz-Escudero  1 , Hernando Santamaría-García  1
Affiliations

Subjective memory complaints of patients and caregivers and their association with sociodemographic and clinical factors in patients with neurocognitive disorders from Colombia

Felipe Botero-Rodríguez et al. Res Sq. .

Abstract

Subjective memory complaints (SMC) are common in older adults and may signal cognitive decline. We examined the clinical correlates of patient-reported SMC and caregiver-reported complaints (CMC) and introduced their discrepancy (SMCΔ) as a potential marker of anosognosia or caregiver overestimation. We carried out a cross-sectional study and systematically assessed cognitive, functional, and behavioral domains of 6,708 individuals from a Latin American memory clinic. CMC scores were significantly higher than SMC and were more strongly associated with cognitive and functional impairments, while SMC was linked to neurological comorbidities and higher education. Psychiatric symptoms were associated with both CMC and SMCΔ. Lower cognitive scores predicted greater CMC, and SMCΔ was best explained by education, MoCA, and NPI-Q. Our findings suggest that SMC, CMC, and their discrepancy capture distinct aspects of disease awareness and caregiver perception, supporting the clinical utility of SMCΔ in early detection and assessment of neurodegenerative conditions.

Keywords: Geriatric Assessment; Neurocognitive Disorders; Neuropsychiatric Symptoms; Neuropsychological Tests; Subjective Cognitive Decline.

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Conflict of interest statement

Additional Declarations: No competing interests reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overview of the standardized interdisciplinary clinical assessment held at Intellectus Memory and Cognition Center.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differences between variables across neurocognitive disorder severity SMC: Subjective memory complaint; CMC: Caregiver Memory Complaint;NCD: neurocognitive disorder; MMSE: Mini-Mental State examination; MoCA: Montreal Cognitive Assessment; NPI-Q: Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire; MBI-C: Mild Behavioral Impairment Checklist; IFS: Ineco Frontal Screening.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of measures of association regarding the indirect risk of having SMCΔ ≥ 1 OR: Odds ratio; CI: Confidence interval; SMC: Subjective memory complaint; MMSE: Mini-Mental State examination; MoCA: Montreal Cognitive Assessment; NPI-Q: Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire; MBI-C: Mild Behavioral Impairment Checklist.
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