Treatment for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

"There is a decrease in brain volume and white/gray matter ratio. The most common site of change is the hippocampus. The other most common brain structures affected were the parietal lobe and amygdala." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Elderly individuals without cognitive impairment have a normal risk for developing cognitive impairment. Early detection of cognitive decline and further investigation of its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are warranted." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"The present study indicates that neuropsychiatric disturbances are a key factor in explaining cognitive impairments. It is not only the dementias themselves that are at risk of cognitive decline but also disorders in the brain. Cognitive impairments can have considerable impact on functional abilities." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Most strategies aimed at improving cognitive functioning are used often and in many people with cognitive decline, with varying degrees of success. A number of strategies offer no improvement, however, and other strategies do so with varying degrees of success. In general it is recommended that cognitive therapists do seek to help people with cognitive decline and to evaluate the impact of the various strategies they are undertaking; that interventions that show promise on measures such as delayed recall tests should be validated qualitatively; and that pharmacological interventions and supplements (such as ginkgo biloba or acetyl-L-carnitine) should be used within their approved indications according to evidence-based practice guidelines." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"The percentage of Americans age 65 years and older who experience moderate-to-severe cognitive decline in the 12 months or the previous year has increased significantly, from 6% in 1990-1991 to 15% in the 2005-2006 survey. The prevalence of moderate-to-severe cognitive decline increased at a much faster rate than the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment. Findings from a recent study suggest that the increase in the prevalence of cognitive decline has largely been driven by an increase in more-severe cognitive decline." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"A major obstacle to cures for Alzheimer disease and some forms of dementia is our incapability to identify when people will be demented. If there are effective treatments for neurodegenerative dementia then one of them likely will be to halt cognitive decline in the early stages. Our models and analysis of the clinical literature suggest that cognitive decline may be modifiable." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Most patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) do not show cognitive worsening or conversion to Alzheimer's disease within a year. In this group of patients, trials were not beneficial with respect to cognitive outcomes. However, there may be a subgroup of MCI patients with cognitive worsening, who may benefit from placebo-controlled protocols. We suggest that such patients must remain under careful longterm observational followup." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"In this sample of older people with mild-to-moderate cognitive declines, the cognitive improvement achieved by the active treatment group was associated with an improvement in physical and mental QOL. In a recent study, findings support the value of active treatment for cognitive decline and may have a positive implication for the future of brain ageing research." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Even though primary degenerative neuro-cognitive symptoms could not be defined in the majority of cases, a variety of neuro-cognitive consequences of CCSVI was evident in our sample. It is suggested that primary degenerative vascular-cognitive symptoms are unlikely to be a primary feature of CCSVI. Although the findings could be of importance in assessing patients' disease-related outcomes, further studies are needed to determine whether treatment may result in improvement or deterioration of primary degenerative neuro-cognitive symptoms of CCSVI." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Since [2010] (when the last update to the NACC was published in "Neurology"), it appears to us that very few new treatments for cognitive decline have been identified and in few circumstances have their mechanisms of action been elucidated. This is not surprising given that there is significant competition between the pharmaceutical industry for the development of new treatments for dementia and that the [2013] USFDA labeling for cholinesterase inhibitors [donepezil (INN), rivastigmine (USAN)] required many [clinicians] and [manufacturers] to show that these drugs had not been effective for [over three years]." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"Cognitive and behavioral therapies can help most people with mild to mild dementia, but not other types. This may be because treating dementia involves dealing with loss by losing abilities that are important for daily living, not because treatments deal with the actual symptoms that dementia causes. In contrast, medications can help some people with dementia feel better as well as preventing worsening of symptoms and improving daily functioning. As with any medication therapy, treatment should be tailored to the person's needs. There isn't a "best approach" to slowing down or stopping cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Instead, treatment should be individualized." - Anonymous Online Contributor

"There is a need for research on the cause and the effect of cognitive decline. Specifically, researchers need to more fully understand the causes of normal cognitive ageing as they seek to identify ways in which older people can be maintained in their homes, families, and communities by utilizing strategies such as cognitive training and the prevention and treatment of mood disorders." - Anonymous Online Contributor