NEUROCOGNITIVE CORRELATES OF COMORBIDITIES IN OLDER ADULTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS

Chronic pain and depression are associated with poor cognition in older adults, yet little is known regarding the additional contribution of comorbidities to performance on specific neurocognitive domains in this population. We examined specific neurocognitive domain performance using baseline data from the Problem Adaptation Therapy for Pain Collaborative Care Program (PATH-Pain) trial, which tested a psychosocial intervention designed to improve emotion regulation in 100 adults ≥ 60 years with comorbid chronic pain and negative emotions (vs. usual care). Participants completed questionnaires on comorbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Index), depressive symptoms (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale), pain intensity, and were remotely administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment with no visual elements (MoCA-blind) and the Repeatable Battery for Neuropsychological Status. Regression assessed the relationship between specific neurocognitive domains and comorbidities, adjusting for depressive symptoms and pain intensity. In adjusted models, greater comorbidities remained associated with poorer immediate memory (b = -.352, p