What Does Mild Cognitive Impairment Consist Of In The Elderly Population?

The DCL previously called “benign oblivion of senescence ”, was described by Kral (1958) as a condition of memory loss that did not progress towards any type of deterioration, verified over a four-year follow-up period. It was later called “age-related memory impairment,” and finally in 1999 Peterson introduced the nomenclature of mild cognitive impairment.

MCI is a mild impairment that includes memory complaints, objectification of memory failures, normal general cognitive functioning, intact activities of daily living and absence of criteria for dementia (Petersen, 2001). However, MCI is a heterogeneous entity in which the majority of short-term cases do not lead to AD (44% of diagnosed patients return to normal).

However, if followed up over two years, 30% of MCI have AD. Therefore, if monitored in the medium term, MCI may be an indication of the development of AD.

Within the DCL, they have been described three different types of deficits:

Amnesiac (aMCI)

Characterized by subjective complaints of memory alterations that are verified with standardized tests, although in tests of general cognitive performance no other cognitive alterations are observed and this deficit does not severely affect activities of daily living. This type of MCI can lead to AD.

diffuse MCI

On the other hand, diffuse MCI (mfMCI-A) presents various different but mild cognitive deficits, which do not allow the diagnosis of dementia (for example problems in language, visuospatial abilities, executive functions). Diffuse MCI can lead to AD or other pathologies such as vascular dementia or not progress and be at the extreme of non-pathological aging.

Non-amnestic focal MCI

Finally, a third type would be non-amnestic focal MCI (mfMCI-noA), which involves mild deficits in some cognitive capacity other than memory, for example if they are language problems it can lead to primary progressive aphasia or if it is in executive functions, towards frontotemporal dementia (Petersen et al., 2001).

Various investigations reach the following results: aMCI is prodomal of AD, mfMCI-A is related to AD, vascular dementia and normal aging and mfMCI-noA is related to AD (although with lower risk than aMCI) and Parkinson’s, among others. Similar results are found in the study by Frutos-Alegría (2007). various capacities.

However, Mulet et al. (2005), although they also found different types of MCI profiles (with a sample of patients in Spain), they differ in the frequency of their incidence and progression towards AD. They conclude that amnestic MCI is less common than was believed, a result similar to that obtained in a previous study by López et al. (2003). Focal MCI (also a rare result) However, they confirm that diffuse MCI evolved into AD during the MCI follow-up period.

Finally, a recent study on the early diagnosis of AD by Valls-Pedret et al. (2010) conclude that the study of MCI is still useful, with the results that have been managed so far. cannot be considered an effective predictor for the early diagnosis of AD.

For everything mentioned so far, and taking into account the quality of life of our elders, as well as the people around them (main caregivers, sons and daughters, spouses), it is necessary continue research in the field of mild cognitive impairment With the double objective of starting treatment earlier and accessing pathways for cognitive stimulation and slowing down the progress of deterioration, as well as making it easier for the patient and their environment to adapt to the successive changes that are going to occur.

This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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