Definition
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to a decline in cognitive performance beyond that expected as a result of normal aging (See “Age-Related Cognitive Impairment”) without the loss of functional independence which is characteristic of dementia (See “Alzheimer’s Disease”). Any neuropsychological domain may be affected. MCI is an etiologically agnostic term and may or may not represent the manifestation of a neurodegenerative disease; however, it is a significant risk factor for developing dementia.
Overview
The term mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was originally developed as a clinical description corresponding to a clinically apparent gray area between healthy aging and dementia. At the time, it was recognized that the path from healthy aging to dementia was heterogeneous, often graded, and frequently reflective of an underlying neurodegenerative disease (See “Neuroscience of Aging”). It...
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Murphy, A.J., Williamson, J.B., Lamb, D.G. (2020). Mild Cognitive Impairment. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_691-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_691-1
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