What Is Pre- Alzheimer's?

Before Alzheimer's disease develops, many people experience a condition known as mild cognitive impairment, abbreviated MCI. This condition causes memory and other mental problems worse than can be accounted for by age but not as severe as Alzheimer's, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Cause

• The overall cause of MCI is not understood, but the following changes in the brain are linked to the condition: plaques (areas of buildup of a protein called beta-amyloid), tangles (twisted strands of the protein tau), a decrease in size of the hippocampus (a part of the brain used for memory), strokes, and the development of Lewy bodies, protein clumps also found in Parkinson's disease.

Effects

• People with MCI experience moderate memory loss, decreased cognitive (thinking) performance, and may become depressed, irritable, anxious, aggressive or apathetic, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Features

• According to the National Institute on Aging (NIA) more people who have MCI develop Alzheimer's disease than people who have not had MCI.

Time Frame

• The Mayo Clinic reports that about fifty per cent of people with mild cognitive impairment advance to Alzheimer's disease within five years.

Treatment

• Although there is no cure for MCI, the Mayo Clinic reports that treatment for related conditions like high blood pressure and depression may improve symptoms; people treated with the Alzheimer's medication donepezil also advanced more slowly to Alzheimer's.