Abstract
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to the clinical condition between normal aging and dementia in which persons experience memory loss to a greater extent than one would expect for age, yet they do not meet currently accepted criteria for dementia syndrome. It introduces a clinical concept in progress which is an expression of foregoing research on preclinical stages of dementia and is interconnected with normal aging and cognitive changes in old age.
Neuropsychological assessment plays a substantial role in the diagnosis of MCI, especially in the case of identification of different MCI-subtypes (subclassifications) or typical profiles of cognitive performance in prodromal phases of neurodegenerative diseases. However, neuropsychological batteries are challenged mainly by intraindividual variability of aging subjects.
A clinical approach to the assessment of MCI - that currently dominates the field - combines normative with criterion-based comparison standards which are basically merged into a broader clinical differential reasoning. In conclusion, the usage of different methods is necessary to evaluate the possible risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease in subjects with MCI (neuropsychological assessment, magnetic resonance imaging, biochemical, genetic / Apolipoprotein E/ and neuropsychiatric examination).