Daily linkages among high and low arousal affect and subjective cognitive complaints

Abstract

Objectives: Subjective cognitive complaints may be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease pathology and related dementias that can be detectable prior to objective, performance-based decline. Negative and positive affective states (NA and PA, respectively) are established psychosocial correlates of cognition in older adulthood and have demonstrated capacity for meaningful within-person fluctuations based on person-environment interactions, age, and measurement approach.

Method: We utilized data from a 100-day, microlongitudinal study of 105 community-dwelling older adults (M_age = 63.19, SD = 7.80, Range = 52–88) to explore within- and between-person associations between high and low arousal NA and PA, and memory- and attention-related complaints.

Results: For memory-related complaints, those who reported experiencing greater NA-high arousal had increased forgetfulness (OR = 2.23, 95%CI: 1.11–4.49, p < .05). Within persons, reporting more NA-high arousal than usual was associated with increased forgetfulness (OR = 1.01, 95%CI: 1.004–1.018, p < .01). For attention-related complaints, those who reported experiencing greater NA-low arousal had increased trouble staying focused (OR = 2.34, 95%CI: 1.17–4.66, p < .05). Within persons, reporting more NA-low arousal (OR = 1.02, 95%CI: 1.01–1.03, p < .001) and less PA-high arousal (OR = 0.96, 95%CI: 0.95–0.97, p < .001) than usual was associated with increased trouble staying focused. Additionally, reporting more PA-low arousal than usual was associated with decreased trouble staying focused among those with higher levels of conscientiousness (OR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.57–0.92, p < .01).

Conclusion: Results from this study offer a means to maximize resource allocation and personalized cognitive health efforts by pinpointing for whom and on which days boosting PA and/or reducing NA may both serve as pathways to benefit daily subjective cognition.

Keywords:

• Affect
• subjective cognition
• cognitive health
• intraindividual variability
• personality

Disclosure statement

We have no conflict of interest to declare.

Table A1. Descriptive statistics across marital statuses.

Additional information

Funding

The content in this manuscript is based on work from a doctoral dissertation. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant DGE 0956820; an endowment by the Petersen Foundation at Oregon State University; and the National Institute on Aging under Grant T32 AG049676 to The Pennsylvania State University.