Abstract
The MCI construct aims to investigate the grey area existing between normal aging and dementia, in order to identify in the preclinical stage patients at risk of developing dementia. The construct of the MCI has been proposed by taking the neuropathological staging of the Alzheimers disease (AD) as reference and providing an explicit set of identifying criteria, but it has raised two main problems: (a) the variability of estimates concerning the actual rate of conversion from MCI to dementia, and (b) the number of subjects who return to normality. These problems stem in part from the operational difficulties met by the MCI identifying criteria concerned with: the memory tests used, the cut-off adopted to identify patients with an ‘objective’ memory disorder, the assessment of subjective memory disorders, and the integrity of daily living activities. After a short discussion of these operational difficulties, I will pass to shortly survey the laboratory data providing additional predictive value for the conversion of MCI to dementia (ApoE4, CSF biomarkers, Neuroimaging data, and Vascular risk factors) and some recent attempts to identify pre-MCI patients, with a purely subjective cognitive impairment. I will conclude my review by asking if we have a single MCI or a family of MCI constructs, each of whom could play a preferential role in specific clinical contexts.
Keywords: Conversion to dementia, return to normality, delayed recall, cut-off points, subjective memory disorders, daily living activities, subjective cognitive impairment
Current Alzheimer Research
Title: Origins, Controversies and Recent Developments of the MCI Construct
Volume: 7 Issue: 3
Author(s): G. Gainotti
Affiliation:
Keywords: Conversion to dementia, return to normality, delayed recall, cut-off points, subjective memory disorders, daily living activities, subjective cognitive impairment
Abstract: The MCI construct aims to investigate the grey area existing between normal aging and dementia, in order to identify in the preclinical stage patients at risk of developing dementia. The construct of the MCI has been proposed by taking the neuropathological staging of the Alzheimers disease (AD) as reference and providing an explicit set of identifying criteria, but it has raised two main problems: (a) the variability of estimates concerning the actual rate of conversion from MCI to dementia, and (b) the number of subjects who return to normality. These problems stem in part from the operational difficulties met by the MCI identifying criteria concerned with: the memory tests used, the cut-off adopted to identify patients with an ‘objective’ memory disorder, the assessment of subjective memory disorders, and the integrity of daily living activities. After a short discussion of these operational difficulties, I will pass to shortly survey the laboratory data providing additional predictive value for the conversion of MCI to dementia (ApoE4, CSF biomarkers, Neuroimaging data, and Vascular risk factors) and some recent attempts to identify pre-MCI patients, with a purely subjective cognitive impairment. I will conclude my review by asking if we have a single MCI or a family of MCI constructs, each of whom could play a preferential role in specific clinical contexts.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Gainotti G., Origins, Controversies and Recent Developments of the MCI Construct, Current Alzheimer Research 2010; 7 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720510791050858
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720510791050858 |
Print ISSN 1567-2050 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5828 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
New Advances in the Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Alzheimer's Disease
Aims and Scope: Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses a significant global health challenge, with an increasing prevalence that demands concerted efforts to advance our understanding and strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. This thematic issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research and innovative approaches from multidisciplinary perspectives to address ...read more
Current updates on the Role of Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Disorders
Neuroinflammation is an invariable hallmark of chronic and acute neurodegenerative disorders and has long been considered a potential drug target for Alzheimer?s disease (AD) and dementia. Significant evidence of inflammatory processes as a feature of AD is provided by the presence of inflammatory markers in plasma, CSF and postmortem brain ...read more
Deep Learning for Advancing Alzheimer's Disease Research
Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses a significant global health challenge, with an increasing number of individuals affected yearly. Deep learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence, has shown immense potential in various domains, including healthcare. This thematic issue of Current Alzheimer Research explores the application of deep learning techniques in advancing our ...read more
Diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers of dementia
Dementia affects 18 million people worldwide. Dementia is a syndrome of symptoms caused by brain disease, usually chronic or progressive, clinically characterized by multiple impairments of higher cortical functions such as memory, thinking, orientation, and learning. In addition, in the course of dementia, cognitive deficits are observed, which often hinder ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Clinical and Environmental Correlates of Serum BDNF: A Descriptive Study with Plausible Implications for AD Research
Current Alzheimer Research Adiposity and Alzheimers Disease
Current Alzheimer Research Alzheimer’s Disease and Retinal Degeneration: A Glimpse at Essential Trace Metals in Ocular Fluids and Tissues
Current Alzheimer Research Biomarkers and Cellular Signal Detection for Alzheimer’s Disease, Stroke, and Immune System Mediated Disorders
Current Neurovascular Research Small Molecule Inhibitors of Peptidylprolyl cis/trans Isomerase
Current Enzyme Inhibition Resveratrol and Analogues: A Review of Antioxidant Activity and Applications to Human Health
Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture Inherited Copper Transport Disorders: Biochemical Mechanisms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Current Drug Metabolism Music Therapy for Individuals with Dementia: Areas of Interventions and Research Perspectives
Current Alzheimer Research Connection between JAK/STAT and PPARγ Signaling During the Progression of Multiple Sclerosis: Insights into the Modulation of T-Cells and Immune Responses in the Brain
Current Molecular Pharmacology Effects of Antiplatelet Medication on Arteriovenous Fistula Patency After Surgical Thrombectomy
Current Vascular Pharmacology Pathophysiology of Platelet Resistance to Anti-Aggregating Agents in Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes: Implications for Anti-Aggregating Therapy
Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Oxidative Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Neurotrophic Approach
Current Drug Targets Phytochemical Therapies in Vascular Functioning: A Molecular Approach
Current Vascular Pharmacology Recent Patents in CNS Drug Discovery: The Management of Inflammation in the Central Nervous System
Recent Patents on CNS Drug Discovery (Discontinued) The Evolution of Histamine H3 Antagonists/Inverse Agonists
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Prostacyclin, Atherothrombosis and Diabetes Mellitus: Physiologic and Clinical Considerations
Current Molecular Medicine Effectiveness of a Standardized and Specific Follow-Up in Memory Centers in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease
Current Alzheimer Research Cystathionine Beta Synthase as a Risk Factor for Alzheimer Disease
Current Alzheimer Research Anxiolytic-Like Effects of 7H-Benzo[e]perimidin-7-One Derivatives through Elevated Plus-Maze Test in Mice
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Multifunctional Ligands Targeting Phosphodiesterase as the Future Strategy for the Symptomatic and Disease-Modifying Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Current Medicinal Chemistry