Brain changes accompany mild cognitive impairment

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study shows that structural brain changes accompany the memory symptoms of mild cognitive impairment.
There is increasing interest in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) because it is thought that it may often signify the very earliest stages of dementia. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic now say that they have found brain structural changes that go with MCI.

They carried out autopsy studies on the brains of 15 people with MCI, comparing them with the brains of 28 people who were cognitively normal and 23 who probably had Alzheimer's disease. Those with MCI showed signs - plaques and tangles - which suggested they were on the road to Alzheimer's. Plaques and tangles result from deposits of abnormal proteins in the brain, causing progressive damage. The changes seen in this study go way beyond what might be expected from normal aging. This study was done post-mortem, but it adds to our understanding of the relationship between MCI and dementia.

Source
Archives of Neurology May 2006

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