Researchers at the Florida State University College of Medicine have proposed an innovative and cost-effective approach for predicting dementia risk.
By evaluating the memory of subjects through an interviewer’s rating, the team found a strong correlation between the ratings and the eventual development of dementia over a 15-year period.
This study highlights the potential of such a simple method as an alternative or supplemental tool in dementia prediction.
The study scrutinized data from nearly 13,000 participants in the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study (HRS) from 2006 to 2020.
All participants had normal cognitive function at the study’s onset and underwent at least one follow-up cognitive assessment.
Trained HRS research assistants conducted 2-3 hour interviews, subsequently rating each participant’s memory performance. They rated on a scale of 1 (no difficulty) to 5 (could not remember anything).
For every 1-point increase in the memory difficulty rating, there was a 40% heightened risk of dementia.
This was observed even after considering other influential factors, and the mode of the interview (in-person or over the phone) had no impact on the outcome.
Interestingly, this association was especially potent among participants with the best memory performance, both objectively and subjectively. This is significant because high performance on such tests usually suggests low dementia risk.
The association between the interviewer’s rating and dementia risk persisted across diverse age groups, genders, races, ethnicities, and education levels. This implies the method’s wide-ranging predictive capability.
The findings suggest that subjective ratings of memory, even by unfamiliar observers, are pivotal in determining cognitive health.
Currently, clinicians depend heavily on feedback from close acquaintances and family of the patient for such insights.
However, this research posits that even a stranger, given adequate training, can provide crucial information during an interview.
Research author Angelina Sutin emphasized the value of this uncomplicated rating technique, particularly when standard memory function tests might overlook potential deficits.
As dementia continues to be a significant health concern, the predictive power of such a straightforward method could be invaluable for early interventions and treatments.
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The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
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