Linking Epigenetic Age Acceleration to Self-Reported Daily Memory Lapses: Evidence from the National Study of Daily Experiences

Abstract

DNA methylation algorithms, such as DunedinPACE (1), are increasingly used to study the mechanisms of aging and to identify associations with risk factors in adult development and aging. Growing evidence suggests that an increased pace of epigenetic aging is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia (2), but the correlation between epigenetic aging and subjective cognitive complaints (e.g., forgetting a name or forgetting to take your medication), an early marker of dementia risk, remains unexplored. Using data from The National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) and Midlife in the United States (MIDUS; N = 232), we examined the relationship between epigenetic aging rate (i.e., DunedinPACE) and self-reported daily memory lapses (i.e., occurrence, irritation, interference) in midlife and older adults. We found no significant main effects of the rate of epigenetic aging on self-reported memory lapses; however, a significant chronological age interaction indicates that among the comparatively younger adults in the sample (age 40-49), faster than average rates of aging (i.e., higher DunedinPACE) were associated with more prospective memory lapses approximately a decade later as well as greater reports of prospective memory lapse irritation and interference. Additionally, for respondents in their forties, a higher DunedinPACE was associated with both greater prospective memory lapse irritation and interference. These results suggest that early midlife may be a sensitive period during which the rate of epigenetic aging is more influential on cognitive health outcomes.