If medical, neurological, or brain imaging evidence supports other etiologically relevant conditions, this too could be Gefitinib EGFR inhibitor imparted to patients as alternative or contributing factors. It might therefore be asked whether any additional information is gained by adding MCI to the diagnosis. On the other hand, patients and families might be comforted by

the MCI label, provided that it is properly explained as a “risk” condition, rather than as a definitive diagnosis of “early Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical AD.” Regardless of the unresolved issues and possibly premature nature of MCI as a psychiatric or neurological “diagnosis” in a patient care setting, the MCI concept has had, and will continue to have, great relevance and importance to research on the causes, early diagnosis, and early treatment Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of AD. Selected abbreviations and acronyms AAMI age-associated memory impairment AD Alzheimer’s disease ARCD age-related cognitive decline CDR Clinical Dementia Rating CIND cognitive impairment-no dementia DAT dementia of the Alzheimer’s type FMRI functional magnetic resonance imaging GDS Global Deterioration

Scale MCI mild cognitive impairment MRS magnetic resonance spectroscopy PET positron emission selleck compound tomography SPECT single photon emission computed tomography Notes Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical This work was supported in part by NIH grants P30 AG 08051 and S06 GM 08225.
AIzheimer’s disease (AD) Is the most common form of dementia. Although there are rare cases with fandlial (autosomal dominant) forms of AD, the majority of patients have the sporadic form Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of the disease.1 Neuropathologically, AD is characterized by degeneration of neurons and their synapses, and the presence of extensive amounts of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.2 Due to the Increase In longevity, the prevalence of AD will rise dramatically within the next few decades so that an estimated 20 to 30 million people In the USA will be living with AD by the year 2030.3 The degenerative process probably starts 20 to 30 years before the clinical Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical onset of AD.4 After the preclinical

phase of the disease, the first symptoms generally affect episodic memory This first clinical phase of AD without overt dementia Is referred to as the mild cognitive Impairment (MCI) phase of AD.5 A diagnosis of MCI Cilengitide is based on memory disturbances measures adjusted for age and education.6 However, MCI Is an etiologlcally heterogeneous disorder. Although many patients with MCI have Incipient AD, others have a benign form of MCI as part of the normal aging process. The conversion rate of MCI to AD with dementia has been reported to be as high as 15% per year.5 Moreover, other types of pathology, such as cerebrovascular disease, may contribute to the memory impairment In MCI cases.