Abstract
Background: Subjective cognitive decline is related to greater risk of
dementia and biological markers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but researchers are yet to
characterize the phenomenological perspective of cognitive decline in those with and
without a diagnosis of AD.
Objective: To collate and synthesize studies measuring the subjective
experience of cognitive change or decline in healthy older adults and those with mild
cognitive impairment and AD.
Methods: We reviewed 58 peer-reviewed articles that were found to directly or
indirectly refer to the subjective experience of cognitive decline.
Results: We extracted eight central themes, dealing with cognitive changes
experienced by each diagnostic group, and also related to issues of changing
self-identity, the causal attribution of cognitive decline, the anxiety and concern
related to perceived decline, the negative perceptions attached to a diagnosis of
dementia, changing levels of insight, and perception of well-being in aging.
Conclusion: This review is the first step toward characterizing
phenomenological profiles of cognitive change in both non-demented and demented older
adults. Developing a clearer understanding of subjective cognitive decline, particularly
at the earliest stages of AD, will augment the sensitivity of detection of individuals at
greater risk of future dementia.
