Mild Cognitive Impairment: Current Aspects of Diagnosis and Treatment

This review addresses current published data on the diagnosis and treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI is not the normal accompaniment of aging but an intermediate state between normal cognitive status and mild dementia. The concept of MCI has developed actively over the last few decades, and significant amounts of knowledge and clinical experience have been acquired; numerous clinical trials have been conducted to develop effective methods for diagnosis and treatment. The treatment of predementia cognitive impairments is considerably different from the treatment for dementia and has a better prognosis, so diagnosis and initiation of treatment of cognitive impairments should be as early as possible. The main options for medication and nonmedication therapy are described, with the focus on the use of dopamine receptor agonist piribedil in the treatment of MCI and sensory defi cit in elderly patients. The mechanism of action of the drug is discussed and data from the main clinical trials of the effi cacy and safety of piribedil are presented: more than 10 international clinical trials involving around 7000 patients have demonstrated that the drug has positive effects on cognitive functions, as have a number of postmarketing studies in the Russian population of patients. Piribedil has been used successfully in various types of mild and moderate cognitive disorders of both neurodegenerative and vascular nature.