Neuropathological profile of mild cognitive impairment from a population perspective.

Neuropathological profile of mild cognitive impairment from a population perspective. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2012 Jul-Sep;26(3):205-12 Authors: Stephan BC, Matthews FE, Hunter S, Savva GM, Bond J, McKeith IG, Ince P, Brayne C, Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (MRC CFAS) Abstract Whether the neuropathological profile of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) reflects an intermediate state between normal aging and dementia is not clear. Identifying which phenomena initiate disease and which occur secondary to the neuropathological process is important for targeted disease prevention. Current definitions of MCI include amnestic (aMCI), nonamnestic (nMCI), and multidomain (mMCI) subtypes. In an unbiased population-based cohort of brain donors, we have determined how many individuals fulfill these criteria in the period leading up to death [n=10 (5 multidomain MCI, 4 amnestic MCI, 1 nonamnestic MCI)]. All MCI cases were collapsed into 1 group and we tested whether their pathologic profile, including markers of Alzheimer disease (AD) and vascular disease (VD), is intermediate to individuals (matched for age, sex, and education) without cognitive impairment (n=20) or dementia (n=20). The main findings are of a significant linear trend in the odds of neuritic plaques (entorhinal/hippocampus), atrophy (hippocampal and cortical), infarcts, and small vessel disease (SVD) with increased cognitive impairment. Neuropathologically, ...
Source: Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord Source Type: research