Effect of Alzheimer's disease risk and protective factors on cognitive trajectories in subjective memory complainers: An INSIGHT-preAD study

Abstract

Introduction: Cognitive change in people at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) such as subjective memory complainers is highly variable across individuals.

Methods: We used latent class growth modeling to identify distinct classes of nonlinear trajectories of cognitive change over 2 years follow-up from 265 subjective memory complainers individuals (age 70 years and older) of the INSIGHT-preAD cohort. We determined the effect of cortical amyloid load, hippocampus and basal forebrain volumes, and education on the cognitive trajectory classes.

Results: Latent class growth modeling identified distinct nonlinear cognitive trajectories. Education was associated with higher performing trajectories, whereas global amyloid load and basal forebrain atrophy were associated with lower performing trajectories.

Discussion: Distinct classes of cognitive trajectories were associated with risk and protective factors of AD. These associations support the notion that the identified cognitive trajectories reflect different risk for AD that may be useful for selecting high-risk individuals for intervention trials.

Keywords: Amyloid PET; Cholinergic basal forebrain; Hippocampus; Longitudinal cognitive change; Preclinical Alzheimer's disease.