Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38763140›Full record

ArticleNeuro-degenerative diseases2024

The Taxonomy of Subjective Cognitive Decline: Proposal and First Clinical Evidence from the Geneva Memory Clinic Cohort.

Federica Ribaldi, Rafael Palomo, Daniele Altomare, Max Scheffler, Frederic Assal, Nicholas J Ashton, Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow, Marc Abramowicz, Valentina Garibotto and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neuro-degenerative diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. The association of self- and interviewer-reported cognitive problems with frailty progression and subsequent all-cause mortality risk: a large-scale cohort study.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Federica RibaldiLaboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging (LANVIE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Rafael PalomoGeneva Memory Center, Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
Daniele AltomareLaboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging (LANVIE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Max SchefflerDivision of Radiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
Frederic AssalDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, Division of Neurology, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Nicholas J AshtonDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience & Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.
Henrik ZetterbergDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.
Kaj BlennowDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.
Marc AbramowiczGenetic Medicine, Diagnostics Dept, University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Valentina GaribottoLaboratory of Neuroimaging and Innovative Molecular Tracers (NIMTlab), Geneva University Neurocenter and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Christian ChicherioGeneva Memory Center, Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
Giovanni B FrisoniLaboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging (LANVIE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

Funding

The effects of iron on oxidative stress and Alzheimer's biomarkers in amyloid-positive and negative elderly normalR01AG068398 · NIA · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · PI CHIANG, GLORIA CHIA-YI · 2020 to 2024
$2.8M
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG068398
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSubjective cognitive decline (SCD) is characterized by subjective cognitive concerns without objective cognitive impairment and is considered a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia. However, most SCD patients will not develop neurodegenerative disorders, yet they may suffer from minor psychiatric, neurological, or somatic comorbidities. The aim of the present study was to provide a taxonomy of the heterogeneous SCD entity and to conduct a preliminary validation using data from a memory clinic sample.

methodsParticipants were fifty-five SCD individuals consecutively recruited at the Geneva Memory Center. Based on clinical reports, they were classified into three clinically pre-defined subgroups: (i) those with psychological or psychiatric comorbidities (Psy), (ii) those with somatic comorbidities (SomCom), (iii) and those with no apparent cause (NAC). Baseline demographics, clinical, cognitive, and biomarker differences among the SCD subgroups were assessed. Longitudinal cognitive changes (average 3 years follow-up) were modeled using a linear mixed model.

resultsOut of the 55 SCD cases, 16 were SomCom, 18 Psy, and 21 NAC. 47% were female, mean age was 71 years. We observed higher frequency of APOE ε4 carriers in NAC (53%) compared to SomCom (14%) and Psy (0%, p = 0.023) and lower level of plasma Aβ42 in NAC (6.8 ± 1.0) compared to SomCom (8.4 ± 1.1; p = 0.031). SomCom subjects were older (74 years) than Psy (67 years, p = 0.011), and had greater medial temporal lobe atrophy (1.0 ± 1.0) than Psy (0.2 ± 0.6) and NAC (0.4 ± 0.5, p = 0.005). SomCom has worse episodic memory performances (14.5 ± 3.5) than Psy (15.8 ± 0.4) and NAC (15.8 ± 0.7, p = 0.032). We observed a slightly steeper, yet not statistically significant, cognitive decline in NAC (β = -0.48) compared to Psy (β = -0.28) and SomCom (β = -0.24).

conclusionsNAC features a higher proportion of APOE ε4 carriers, lower plasma Aβ42 and a trend towards steeper cognitive decline than SomCom and Psy. Taken together, these findings suggest that NACs are at higher risk of cognitive decline due to AD. The proposed clinical taxonomy might be implemented in clinical practice to identify SCD at higher risk. However, such taxonomy should be tested on an independent cohort with a larger sample size.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionAgedAged, 80 and overAmyloid beta-PeptidesApolipoprotein E4Cohort StudiesDiagnostic Self EvaluationFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsAmyloid beta-PeptidesApolipoprotein E4Alzheimer’s diseaseDementiaSubjective cognitive decline

Identifiers

PMID38763140
PMCPMC11448624

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.