title: Subjective memory complaints are associated with diurnal measures of salivary cortisol in cognitively intact older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between subjective memory complaints (SMC) and the stress hormone cortisol using diurnal measures in older, cognitively intact subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study conducted at a university research center included 64 volunteers (with or without SMC) with a mean age of 78.6 (±6.3) years and diagnosis of cognitively normal based on objective neuropsychological testing. Measures of diurnal salivary cortisol, depressive symptoms, episodic memory performance, level of anxiety, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 allele status were obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In multivariate logistic regression analyses with SMC as outcome, averaged postpeak cortisol, the cortisol awakening response, and depressive symptoms were significant predictors, whereas gender, memory performance, anxiety, and APOE-e4 status were not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant associations between SMC and diurnal measures of cortisol in cognitively intact elderly suggest that hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction may contribute to early neuropathologic changes in older adults who complain of memory decline undetected on neuropsychological testing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, CA. Electronic address: gpeavy@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Guerry M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Peavy
authors.forename: Deliamille Pérez
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Santiago
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Edland
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D057566:Self Report
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Alzheimer disease; apolipoprotein E; chronic stress; dementia; depression