What is Mild Cognitive Impairment?
Mild cognitive impairment is neurological condition presenting with mild cognitive deficits that do not affect person’s ability to function independently. It could be a transitional stage to dementia if Mild Cognitive Impairment is caused by neurodegenerative process.
The new term for mild cognitive impairment is minor neurocognitive disorder.
Causes
Multiple conditions can cause mild cognitive impairment. These include Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular disease, Frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy Bodies and similar. Each of these disorders have distinct pathology found in the brain.
In rare cases, mild cognitive impairment can be caused by reversible or treatable causes, such as nutrient deficiencies, hormonal changes, certain medications or mood disorders.
Symptoms
Most commonly encountered symptoms of mild cognitive impairment include forgetfulness, changes in language, visuospatial deficits etc.
Treatment
Treatment of mild cognitive impairment include disease-specific treatment. This frequently also involve memory therapy.
Some patients may be eligible to participate in clinical trials, which are research studies that evaluate promising and innovative new treatments before they are available to the public.
Global Neurosciences Institute also provides advice and support for those caring for a loved one with dementia, Alzheimer's disease or memory loss.