Impairment of areas of the brain that process memory and language, and maintain attention and focus. While memory and cognition are impaired these deficits are not severe enough to be considered dementia. Approximately 70% of patients with MCI develop AD within 10 years. Generally MCI patients demonstrate the same risk factors as AD patients. Nearly 8 million Americans suffer from MCI.
A relatively new diagnosis of those experiencing more severe cognitive deterioration than normal age-related cognitive decline, but not yet experiencing the full clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. An estimated 23% of those over age 65 have mild cognitive impairment, and each year a substantial portion (15–20%) of them advance to a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
a condition associated with impairments in understanding and memory not severe enough to be diagnosed as dementia, but more pronounced than those associated with normal aging.
a mild decline in memory. Not a normal age-related change. A person with MCI might complain of memory problems, trouble attending and making calculations, difficult with language, inability to follow commands, reading difficulty, inability to write a sentence or copy a drawing. Not accompanied by dementia.
Decreased short-term memory does not affect thinking and reasoning skills. May indicate susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease.
A brain disorder in which thinking abilities are mildly impaired. Individuals with mild cognitive impairment are able to function in everyday activities but have difficulty with memory -- trouble remembering the names of people they met recently, remembering the flow of a conversation, and a tendency to misplace things. The individual may be aware of these difficulties and compensate with increased reliance on notes and calendars. The diagnosis of MCI relies on the fact that the individual is able to perform all their usual activities successfully, without more assistance from others than they previously needed
A syndrome of memory impairment, and diminished awareness or judgement.