Open AccessMild cognitive decline: Concept, types, presentation, and management
Author(s) -
Alka A Subramanyam,
Shipra Singh
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of geriatric mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2395-3322
pISSN - 2348-9995
DOI - 10.4103/2348-9995.181910
Subject(s) - dementia , cognitive decline , cognition , notice , medicine , disease , neuroimaging , neuropsychology , intervention (counseling) , psychology , clinical psychology , modalities , psychiatry , intensive care medicine , gerontology , pathology , social science , sociology , political science , law
As advancements are being made in the medical field, the average life span is increasing and more complaints related to the elderly are coming into notice. Of these, mild cognitive decline (MCD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is recently becoming an increasingly recognized entity that is often considered a precursor of dementia but is found to have other outcomes as well. It also has variations in presentations; it does not present only as memory complaint but also in the form of other cognitive or behavioral manifestations and has always been a point of controversy regarding the objectivity of the diagnosis. It is considered as the appropriate stage for intervention to prevent its progression to dementia and therefore, requires early identification for which various diagnostic modalities such as neuroimaging, neuropsychological tests, and biological markers are considered. Currently, there are no specific treatment guidelines for MCD. Drugs used in Alzheimer′s disease (AD), lifestyle modifications, and other nonpharmacological approaches have shown some benefit in MCI but the results are variable; hence, the need for further research is warranted for effective preventive therapy. In this article, we will be discussing MCD as a clinical construct, evaluation of a person suspected of having MCD, and management of the same