Mild Cognitive Impairment: Symptoms, Causes, Tests, and Management

Age-related forgetfulness is, in most cases, common and harmless; for example, you might forget where you put your phone or someone‘s name, but remember and eventually recall it. With MCI, memory problems tend to be much more frequent and apparent, such as forgetting recent talks, losing track of familiar tasks, or difficulty following a story. The main difference is the pattern and number of occurrences and how other people perceive things.

No. Although there is a higher rate of progression to dementia in those with MCI (10 to 15 per cent a year), there are still many who do not progress and actually get better. Management of underlying risk factors with nutrition and lifestyle management, and vigilant monitoring, shows that many of the MCI do not progress further to dementia. Early intervention makes all the difference.

Initial changes to a person‘s mind are often very small, such as asking the same questions or telling the same story several times in one discussion, losing place while reading, or not being able to remember appointments or dates. But very quickly, these small changes tend to become more and more noticeable.

Yes. Chronic stress and anxiety affect memory, concentration, and speed of processing, all of which can be similar to MCI.

Diagnosis is made on a combination of cognitive screening, blood tests and brain imaging to exclude other potential causes in addition to a comprehensive clinical history. For cognitive screening, the MoCA or MMSE are commonly used.

Sometimes, yes. If MCI is caused by treatable conditions such as hypothyroidism, B12 deficiency, sleep disorders, metabolic dysfunction, or medication side effects, it certainly can be reversed.

The rate of progression can vary dramatically, with an approximate 10 to 15 per cent annual conversion to dementia. Over five years, an estimated 50 per cent conversion rate exists; however, the rate of conversion is highly dependent on age, genetics, cardiovascular status, lifestyle, and initiation of treatment.

The MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) appears most promising for retaining cognition. Similar to the Mediterranean and DASH diets, it advocates the consumption of green leafy vegetables, berries, nuts, olive oil, fish, whole grains and pulses, and discourages intake of red meats, butter, cheese, pastries and fried foods. Compliance with a MIND diet appears to slow cognitive decline and lower the incidence of Alzheimer‘s disease.

Approved evidence-based options are omega-3 fatty acids (especially DHA), B-complex vitamins (especially in the presence of elevated homocysteine), vitamin D, magnesium L-threonate, lion‘s mane, and phosphatidylserine.