Affiliations: [a] Laboratory of Epidemiology and Psychology of Aging and Dementia, Section of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy | [b] Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Roberto Monastero, MD, PhD, Laboratory of Epidemiology and Psychology of Aging and Dementia, Section of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Palermo, Via La Loggia 1, 90129 – Palermo, Italy. Tel.: +39 091 6555185; Fax: +39 091 6555113; E-mail: roberto.monastero@unipa.it; roberto.monastero@ki.se.
Note: [] Communicated by Patrizia Mecocci
Abstract: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a clinical concept proposed as an intermediate state between normal aging and dementia. This condition has multiple heterogeneous sources, including clinical presentation, etiology, and prognosis. Recently, the prevalence and associated features of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in MCI have been described. We systematically searched the PubMed database (last accessed on August 31, 2008) for articles on NPS in MCI. Included articles used strict selection criteria, and outcome variables were extracted in duplicate; of the 27 articles included, 14 (52%) used prospective cohorts. The global prevalence of NPS in MCI ranged from 35% to 85%. The most common behavioral symptoms were depression, anxiety, and irritability. Hospital-based samples reported a higher global prevalence of NPS than population-based studies; this discrepancy probably reflected differences in demographics, study setting, MCI diagnostic criteria, and behavioral instruments used. Prospective studies showed that NPS, particularly depression, may represent risk factors for MCI or predictors for the conversion of MCI to Alzheimer's disease (AD). NPS are very prevalent in subjects with MCI, displaying a similar pattern of symptoms compared to dementia and AD. Large cohort studies using standardized MCI criteria and behavioral instruments are required to evaluate the prognostic role of NPS in MCI.
