title: Education modifies the type of subjective memory complaints in older people.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study is to analyze the relationship between the level of education and the profile of subjective memory complaints (SMC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were healthy volunteers aged >50 years old, from a community-based sample. Educational attainment was self-reported, and participants were subsequently assembled in four groups, according to the highest grade achieved in school. Additionally, they were questioned about their own memory abilities using an SMC scale (total score 0-21) and assessed for the presence of depressive symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 841 participants aged 50-92 years old were included. The mean total score on the SMC scale was 5.3 ± 3.2, and 80.4% of the subjects reported at least one minor complaint about their memory. There was no correlation between total SMC score and higher educational level, even after accounting for the presence of depressive symptoms. However, regarding specific SMC, the use of notes to avoid forgetting was more frequent in higher levels of education, whereas the opposite trend was observed for complaints of transient confusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Educational attainment possibly modulates the frequency and type of SMC in normal aging. Because these complaints are a major symptom for the diagnosis of cognitive decline, it seems relevant to consider the level of education when interpreting subjective reports on memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM) and Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alagoa João
authors.affiliation: Superior Institute of Applied Psychology, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maroco
authors.affiliation: Dementia Clinics, Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM) and Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.|Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ginó
authors.affiliation: Dementia Clinics, Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM) and Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.|Psychiatry Department, Santa Maria Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Tiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.affiliation: Dementia Clinics, Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM) and Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Mendonça
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM) and Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Isabel Pavão
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Martins
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
keywords: aging; cognitive decline; depression; educational level; subjective memory complaints