['To investigate the relationship between subjective memory complaints (SMC) and the stress hormone cortisol using diurnal measures in older, cognitively intact subjects.', 'This cross-sectional study conducted at a university research center included 64 volunteers (with or without SMC) with a mean age of 78.6 (±6.3) years and diagnosis of cognitively normal based on objective neuropsychological testing. Measures of diurnal salivary cortisol, depressive symptoms, episodic memory performance, level of anxiety, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 allele status were obtained.', 'In multivariate logistic regression analyses with SMC as outcome, averaged postpeak cortisol, the cortisol awakening response, and depressive symptoms were significant predictors, whereas gender, memory performance, anxiety, and APOE-e4 status were not.'] Are subjective memory complaints associated with diurnal measures of salivary cortisol in cognitively intact older adults?