How to Recognize Mild Cognitive Impairment, and What to Do About It Katherine Ellison - The Washington Post
go to original March 4, 2024

If you notice a significant decline in memory, reduced ability to absorb new information or understand social cues (like getting angry about a joke that wouldn’t have been upsetting in the past), or an uptick in clumsiness in yourself or someone close to you, it may be time to talk to a doctor.

Research published last year suggests approximately 92 percent of people with MCI are undiagnosed. After analyzing data from 40 million Medicare recipients aged 65 and older, the authors of the study in the journal Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy found that only about 600,000 of the expected 8 million affected by MCI had been identified.

“We expected it to be bad, but not this bad,” said Mattke, the study’s lead author. Detection rates are even lower for historically disadvantaged groups, such as Black and Hispanic Americans.

“The advantage of catching MCI early is that we can delay progression. Later on, less,” said David Weisman, director of clinical research at Abington Neurological Associates in Abington, Pa., and Dershem’s current doctor. “In neurology we learn the same lessons again and again: Time is brain.”

Since February 2023, Weisman has been treating patients with lecanemab (brand name Leqembi), which federal regulators approved last year to treat MCI and early Alzheimer’s disease. Lecanemab reduces the buildup of amyloid beta, a protein in the brain that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. Clinical trials have shown it can modestly slow dementia’s progress but can’t stop the decline or make up for lost ground.

Diagnosis is also valuable because, in a minority of cases, something other than Alzheimer’s disease — or a related incurable disorder such as Lewy body dementia — is causing MCI symptoms. But that doesn’t mean it’s not potentially serious, said Petersen. The potential culprits range from a brain tumor to medication side effects.

Many doctors are now buoyed by the emergence of amyloid-fighting medications such as lecanemab and donanemab, the latter of which has yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The caveat is that the drugs help only when the disease is caught early. Additionally, the medications can come with dangerous side effects. Leqembi carries a warning that it can cause brain swelling and bleeding.

Read the rest at The Washington Post

Related: Exercise Increases Brain Volume and May Slow Memory Decline (The Washington Post)

Related: Why Memory Worsens as You Age, and Things You Can Do About It (LiveStrong)

Related: The New Face of Alzheimer’s: Early-Stage Patients Who Refuse to Surrender (The Washington Post)