title: Alexithymia in people with subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and mild Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Behavioral and psychological symptoms are widely accepted as accelerator factors in progression to dementia. Although alexithymia is closely related to normal aging process and poor neurocognitive performance, alexithymia has not been included in these symptoms yet.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Here, we aimed to investigate alexithymia features in people with prominent clinical memory complaints.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants (n = 82) were classified into three groups as: subjective cognitive decline (n = 30), mild cognitive impairment (n = 27), and mild Alzheimer's disease (n = 25) after Mini-Mental State Examination, Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, neuropsychological test battery, Geriatric Depression Scale, and Hachinski Ischemic Scale. All participants were assessed with 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients with mild Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment have significantly greater alexithymia features than individuals with subjective cognitive decline in Toronto Alexithymia Scale (p < 0.05 for all). The alexithymia features in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment did not significantly differ (p > 0.05, for all).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  People who have objective cognitive decline seem to have more alexithymia features than people with subjective cognitive decline. Moreover, alexithymia features seem to be similar in people mild Alzheimer's disease and in mild cognitive impairment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alexithymia might be an important searching domain of behavioral-psychological symptoms in people with cognitive problems beyond aging.
authors.affiliation: Consultants in Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School of Cerrahpasa, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yuruyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical School of Cerrahpasa, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fundan Engin
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Akcan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical School of Cerrahpasa, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gizem Cetiner
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Batun
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical School of Cerrahpasa, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gozde
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gultekin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Mesut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toprak
authors.affiliation: Consultants in Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School of Cerrahpasa, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yavuzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical School of Cerrahpasa, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. murat23emul@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Emul
mesh_terms: D000342:Affective Symptoms; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
keywords: Alexithymia; Alzheimer’s disease; Mild cognitive impairment; Subjective cognitive decline