What is Mild Cognitive Impairment

Featuring Dr. Cirelle K. Rosenblatt, PhD, Rpsych

Duration: 1 minute, 40 seconds

Mild cognitive impairment refers to a condition which bridges the stage beyond what are considered normal cognitive change related to age, but precede anything that would be considered dementia.

Mild cognitive impairment or amnestic mild cognitive impairment - which relates to specific memory loss in a mild cognitive impairment diagnosis - is provided by a physician who specializes in this area.

Mild cognitive impairment is an important diagnosis because it's considered a precursor to dementia, and amnestic mild cognitive impairment is considered a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. Approximately 10% of mild cognitive impairment cases will change into or convert into a formal dementia state every year, so it's an important diagnosis to obtain in the event that it's a possibility.

This diagnosis can be made based on clinical impression, radiological findings which have some diagnostic value, as well as neuropsychological assessment, which can define areas of change which might not yet be obvious to a person in their daily function but would show up very specifically based on the testing when they're compared with age-matched norms or education-matched norms.

Anyone interested in more information about mild cognitive impairment or amnestic mild cognitive impairment should speak with their physician regarding a possible workup that would better define that condition.

Presenter: Dr. Cirelle K. Rosenblatt, Psychologist, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Psychologist