Subjective Memory Complaints: Symptoms and Outcome in Different Research Settings.

Subjective memory complaints (SMC) are important and may, in certain individuals, herald the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such Alzheimer's disease. However, they are very common and in some individuals will result from mood disorders/personality factors or systemic illnesses. Research has been hampered by the wide variety of criteria and neuropsychological tests used to define this disorder.