This book is for individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), their loved ones, and health care professionals who care for these patients. The text is loaded with up-to-date, scientifically substantiated knowledge about what MCI is, how it affects people, and how to take a proactive approach to health and wellbeing for living with MCI.
What are the boundary zones between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD)? Are many elderly people whom we regard as normal actually in the early stages of AD? Alzheimer's disease does not develop overnight; the early phases may last for years or even decades. Recently, clinical investigators have identified a transitional condition between normal aging and and very early Alzheimer's disease that they have called mild cognitive impairment, or MCI. This term typically refers to memory impairment beyond what one would expect in individuals of a given age whose other abilities to function in daily life are well preserved. Persons who meet the criteria for mild cognitive impairment have an increased risk of progressing to Alzheimer's disease in the near future. Though many questions about this condition and its underlying neuropathology remain open, full clinical trials are currently underway worldwide aimed at preventing the progression from MCI to Alzheimer's disease. This book addresses the spectrum of issues involved in mild cognitive impairment, and includes chapters on clinical studies, neuropsychology, neuroimaging, neuropathology, biological markers, diagnostic approaches, and treatment. It is intended for clinicians, researchers, and students interested in aging and cognition, among them neurologists, psychiatrists, geriatricians, clinical psychologists, and neuropsychologists.
Adults are being increasingly diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and this book provides strategies for concerned individuals to help slow the onset of the condition. Around 50% of adults with MCI go on to develop dementia, but research shows that self-help through early intervention and preventative measures can hugely slow this down. The self-help measures in this book include memory aids, health and lifestyle changes, activities, therapies and technological aids. All of them are known to improve cognition and can be incorporated into daily life. Every measure is firmly based in current research, and this book is also applicable to those with early-stage dementia wishing to delay the onset of more severe cognitive impairment. Given the paramount importance of early intervention to prevent cognitive impairment worsening, this book is essential reading for any older individual wanting the best strategies to help with how to do this in practice.
"As you have grown older, you may have noticed changes in your memory. You might find yourself walking into a room and forgetting why you are there. It might be more difficult to remember the name of someone you just met. You may also notice that it takes longer to come up with words in conversation"--
Written by leading authorities in the field, this book describes the cognitive changes associated with age, the earliest detectable stages of Alzheimer’s, and the relationship of these conditions to MCI. The authors review the latest advances in our understanding of MCI, its prevalence, evaluation, management, and outcomes and in so doing provide practising physicians with a useful resource that assists them in identifying those MCI patients who will progress to recognised Alzheimer’s Disease. Beautifully presented in full colour, Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Mild Cognitive Impairment includes case studies and discusses future therapeutic and diagnostic strategies. It is an invaluable resource for postgraduates and professionals, for specialist physicians in neurology and psychiatric medicine, geriatric medicine and general practice.
This book brings together a cutting edge international team of contributors to critically review the current knowledge regarding the effectiveness of training interventions designed to improve cognitive functions in different target populations. There is substantial evidence that cognitive and physical training can improve cognitive performance, but these benefits seem to vary as a function of the type and the intensity of interventions and the way training-induced gains are measured and analyzed. This book further fulfills the need for clarification of the mechanisms underlying cognitive and neural changes occurring after training. This book offers a comprehensive overview of empirical findings and methodological approaches of cognitive training research in different cognitive domains (memory, executive functions, etc.), types of training (working memory training, video game training, physical training, etc.), age groups (from children to young and older adults), target populations (children with developmental disorders, aging workers, MCI patients etc.), settings (laboratory-based studies, applied studies in clinical and educational settings), and methodological approaches (behavioral studies, neuroscientific studies). Chapters feature theoretical models that describe the mechanisms underlying training-induced cognitive and neural changes. Cognitive Training: An Overview of Features and Applications will be of interest to researchers, practitioners, students, and professors in the fields of psychology and neuroscience.
Societies around the world are concerned about dementia and the other forms of cognitive impairment that affect many older adults. We now know that brain changes typically begin years before people show symptoms, which suggests a window of opportunity to prevent or delay the onset of these conditions. Emerging evidence that the prevalence of dementia is declining in high-income countries offers hope that public health interventions will be effective in preventing or delaying cognitive impairments. Until recently, the research and clinical communities have focused primarily on understanding and treating these conditions after they have developed. Thus, the evidence base on how to prevent or delay these conditions has been limited at best, despite the many claims of success made in popular media and advertising. Today, however, a growing body of prevention research is emerging. Preventing Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Way Forward assesses the current state of knowledge on interventions to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, and informs future research in this area. This report provides recommendations of appropriate content for inclusion in public health messages from the National Institute on Aging.
Mental and physical disorders are common in old age but frequently remain undetected and untreated. Managing treatment and controlling symptoms of these disorders is imperative to the longevity and quality of life of patients. The Handbook of Research on Geriatric Health, Treatment, and Care provides emerging research on promoting health in older adults by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities. By highlighting topics such as alternative treatment, clinical diagnosis, and positive psychology, this publication explores the methods and approaches of identifying and diagnosing epidemiological factors that contribute to geriatric health issues. This book is an important resource for healthcare professionals, academicians, medical practitioners, researchers, and students seeking current research on the methods and strategies for maintaining healthy and successful care for the elderly.
A definitive and compelling book on one of today's most prevalent illnesses. In 2020, an estimated 5.8 million Americans had Alzheimer’s, and more than half a million died because of the disease and its devastating complications. 16 million caregivers are responsible for paying as much as half of the $226 billion annual costs of their care. As more people live beyond their seventies and eighties, the number of patients will rise to an estimated 13.8 million by 2050. Part case studies, part meditation on the past, present and future of the disease, The Problem of Alzheimer's traces Alzheimer’s from its beginnings to its recognition as a crisis. While it is an unambiguous account of decades of missed opportunities and our health care systems’ failures to take action, it tells the story of the biomedical breakthroughs that may allow Alzheimer’s to finally be prevented and treated by medicine and also presents an argument for how we can live with dementia: the ways patients can reclaim their autonomy and redefine their sense of self, how families can support their loved ones, and the innovative reforms we can make as a society that would give caregivers and patients better quality of life. Rich in science, history, and characters, The Problem of Alzheimer's takes us inside laboratories, patients' homes, caregivers’ support groups, progressive care communities, and Jason Karlawish's own practice at the Penn Memory Center.
Late-life Mood Disorders provides a comprehensive review of the current research advances in neurobiology and psychosocial origins of geriatric mood disorders. The review of the latest developments and "gold standards" of care is provided by an international group of leading experts.
