Tricked by financial scams can suggest an early onset of Alzheimer's disease: Study suggests

A new study found a correlation between financial decision-making skills in older adults and Alzheimer's disease.

In today’s digital world, financial scams are pervasive, and older people often fall prey to them. A groundbreaking study by the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, revealed a startling connection between vulnerability to financial scams and early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers explained how financial vulnerability may be linked to early cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Scammers often trick older people into giving away sensitive financial details. High financial vulnerability is an early sign of Alzheimer's disease.(Shutterstock)

Financial vulnerability indicates cognitive decline

Old people often fall into the scammers' claims and give away confidential private details. (Shutterstock)

Discerning financial fraud requires cognitive skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving. The researchers explored how the financial exploitation of senior citizens indicates poor decision-making skills. This declining decision-making ability and eventual succumbing to scams suggest deteriorating cognitive skills. This, in turn, implies potential structural changes in the brain that could be linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Brain changes related to cognitive decline

The researchers examined the entorhinal cortex, an area of the brain that connects the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory, with the medial prefrontal cortex, which handles cognitive functions. The entorhinal cortex is one of the first regions to show signs of Alzheimer's disease and becomes thinner as the disease progresses.

The researchers found that individuals who make poor financial decisions and are more vulnerable to financial scams have a thinner entorhinal cortex. This was especially prevalent among participants aged 70 and older. The study’s participants did not exhibit any clinical cognitive impairments; they underwent MRI scans to assess the thickness of the entorhinal cortex and completed a standardized test called the Perceived Financial Exploitation Vulnerability Scale (PFVS) to evaluate their financial decision-making skills.

The researchers recommend assessing financial decision-making skills in older adults, as these may signal the onset of cognitive impairment. However, financial vulnerability alone is not a definitive indicator of cognitive impairment; it is studied as one component of a larger assessment of risk factors.