Influence of the age factor on pre-mild cognitive impairment

Pre-Mild Cognitive Impairment (PreMCI) is characterized by patients’ complaints of  memory impairment and/or other cognitive functions. In elderly and senile age, PreMCI can be a predictor of the development of more significant cognitive defects up to the development of dementia.

The study was aimed at the analysis of the neuropsychological characteristics of patients with PreMCI in dependence on their age.

Materials and methods. The results of the examination of 547 patients (159 men and 388 women) in the age groups of 45–59 years old, 60–74 years old and 75–89 years old were analyzed in comparison to 104 healthy   subjects with the same age characteristics who did not complain of cognitive functions’ impairment. The study included clinical research and the use of  scales and questionnaires set evaluating cognitive functions.

Results. Significant differences were detected between patients with PreMCI and healthy   subjects of middle and old age in most neuropsychological tests. Patients over 75 years old differed from healthy ones only in the clock drawing test and immediate reproduction of 12 words test.  Most significant difference in neuropsychological tests in different age groups of healthy    subjects was impairment in executive functions and the index of the 12-word immediate reproduction test. Patients with PreMCI had a deterioration of divided-attention measure indicators, executive and language functions, and constructional praxis, while in memory tests  no significant dynamics was detected.

Conclusion. A broader spectrum of cognitive functions’ defects is detected in patients with PreMCI compared to healthy ones. At the same time, memory impairment is a fixed condition, and is not essentially dependent on age.

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