Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Assessing Cortical Cerebral Microinfarcts on High Resolution MR Images
08:39

Assessing Cortical Cerebral Microinfarcts on High Resolution MR Images

Published on: November 20, 2015

Pre-MCI and MCI: neuropsychological, clinical, and imaging features and progression rates

Ranjan Duara1, David A Loewenstein, Maria T Greig

  • 1Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders, Miami Beach, Florida, USA. duara@msmc.com

The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry : Official Journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
|March 23, 2011
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Individuals with pre-mild cognitive impairment (pre-MCI) show intermediate clinical and imaging features between no cognitive impairment (NCI) and MCI. Pre-MCI subjects progress to MCI faster than NCI but slower to dementia than MCI.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology
  • Clinical Neurology

Background:

  • Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional stage between normal cognition and dementia.
  • Pre-mild cognitive impairment (pre-MCI) describes individuals with clinical signs of MCI but without objective neuropsychological deficits.
  • Understanding the trajectory of pre-MCI is crucial for early intervention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the clinical, imaging, and neuropsychological characteristics of pre-MCI subjects with those of no cognitive impairment (NCI), nonamnestic MCI (naMCI), amnestic MCI (aMCI), and mild dementia.
  • To evaluate the longitudinal progression of pre-MCI subjects over 2-3 years.

Main Methods:

  • 369 subjects underwent baseline assessments including the Clinical Dementia Rating sum of boxes (CDR-SB), ApoE genotyping, cardiovascular risk factors, parkinsonism (UPDRS) scores, structural brain MRIs, and neuropsychological testing.
  • 275 subjects received annual follow-up assessments for 2-3 years.

Main Results:

  • At baseline, pre-MCI subjects exhibited executive function and language deficits, higher apathy, and reduced left hippocampal volumes compared to NCI.
  • Pre-MCI subjects showed less impairment on memory measures, CDR-SB, and UPDRS scores than naMCI, aMCI, and mild dementia groups.
  • Over 2-3 years, 28.6% of pre-MCI subjects progressed to MCI or dementia, versus <5% of NCI subjects. Progression to dementia was 2.4% for pre-MCI, 22.2% for naMCI, and 34.5% for aMCI.

Conclusions:

  • Pre-MCI presents intermediate cognitive, functional, motor, behavioral, and imaging profiles between NCI and MCI.
  • Pre-MCI subjects demonstrate an accelerated rate of progression to MCI compared to NCI.
  • Pre-MCI subjects progress to dementia at a slower rate than MCI subjects, with CDR-SB and specific cognitive tests predicting dementia onset.

More Related Videos

A Machine Learning Approach to Design an Efficient Selective Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment12:18

A Machine Learning Approach to Design an Efficient Selective Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment

Published on: January 11, 2020

The 4 Mountains Test: A Short Test of Spatial Memory with High Sensitivity for the Diagnosis of Pre-dementia Alzheimer's Disease06:23

The 4 Mountains Test: A Short Test of Spatial Memory with High Sensitivity for the Diagnosis of Pre-dementia Alzheimer's Disease

Published on: October 13, 2016

Related Concept Videos

Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction01:29

Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction

Alzheimer disease is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia in older adults. It leads to gradual neuronal loss, causing cognitive decline, behavioral changes, and loss of functional independence.Risk Factors and EtiologyThe disease is multifactorial. Age is the strongest risk factor, with prevalence doubling every 5 years after age 65. Genetic factors include mutations in genes such as APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2, which are associated...
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview01:26

Alzheimer's Disease: Overview

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a continually advancing neurodegenerative disorder, distinguished by escalating memory loss, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia. The disease unfolds in three stages: preclinical, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia. Its onset is insidious, and the progression gradual, with the cause not well explained by other disorders.
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
Dementia l: Introduction01:22

Dementia l: Introduction

Dementia is an acquired, progressive syndrome characterized by a decline in multiple cognitive domains severe enough to impair daily functioning and reduce independence. Although memory loss is a central feature, the diagnosis requires additional deficits involving language, executive function, visuospatial skills, judgment, calculation, or abstract reasoning. These cognitive impairments reflect underlying neurodegenerative or vascular processes that gradually disrupt neuronal networks...
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology01:23

Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology

Alzheimer disease involves structural changes in the brain that begin long before symptoms appear. The most distinctive features are extracellular neuritic plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles.Neuritic plaques form in the cerebral cortex and around blood vessels. These plaques contain a dense core of beta-amyloid (Aβ)—a toxic protein fragment that clumps outside neurons. The core is surrounded by damaged neuronal extensions, as well as reactive astrocytes and microglia. Abnormal...
Multiple Sclerosis l: Introduction01:19

Multiple Sclerosis l: Introduction

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that affects the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. It is an inflammatory demyelinating disorder and a leading cause of neurological disability in young adults.EpidemiologyMS commonly begins between 20 and 40 years of age and is twice as common in women. Its exact cause remains unclear, but genetic susceptibility contributes, with higher risk in first-degree relatives and identical twins. A greater...