P3–160: Stress and risk of amnestic mild cognitive impairment: Results from the Einstein Aging Study
Year: 2013
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Stress may be a remediable risk factor for cognitive decline and may predict transitions from normative aging to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Studies have shown that experimentally-induced stress is associated with impairment in both episodic and working memory. The goal of this study is to examine the relation of perceived stress to incident amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Longitudinal analyses were conducted in the Einstein Aging Study cohort, a systematically recruited sample of adults, age 70+ residing in Bronx, NY. Eligible participants did not have dementia or aMCI at baseline and had at least one year of follow-up after completing the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The PSS is aquestionnaire that assesses distress and coping over the last 4 weeks (mean= 19.6, s.d.= 7.6). aMCI was defined according to updated Petersen criteria. The effect of baseline PSS score on the risk of developing aMCI was examined using Cox proportional hazards' models, adjusting for gender, race, education, and age at baseline. PSS was examined using the continuous PSS score, as well as a dichotomized categorical score (highest decile vs. others). 535 individuals were eligible for inclusion and had a median follow-up of 3.4 years. The cohort had a mean age of 80 years (s.d.= 5.5) at baseline and was predominantly female (64%) with a mean of 14.2 years of education. 75 participants (14.0%) developed incident aMCI. In the fully adjusted model, a 5 pointincrease in PSS score was associated with an increased risk of incident aMCI (HR= 1.18; 95% CI:1.01–1.36, P=0.034). Participants with PSS above the 10th percentile were at higher risk of incident aMCI compared to the rest of the sample in the fully adjusted model (HR=1.99, CI: 1.17–3.38, P=0.011). High levels of perceived stress, as measured by the PSS, were associated with an increased risk of incident aMCI. This result may have implications for potential treatment or intervention for early cognitive impairment due to memory. Though a causal relationship is plausible, we cannot exclude reverse causality.
Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2020669987