- Glossary
Pre-dementia
Alzheimer's disease typically progresses through several clinical stages, preceded by an early phase with initial cognitive impairments. This phase, formerly known as pre-dementia, is now usually referred to as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease. It can manifest itself through symptoms such as declining short-term memory. With modern imaging techniques, especially amyloid PET, characteristic amyloid deposits in the brain can already be detected in this early phase. Laboratory chemical analyses of blood or cerebrospinal fluid can also provide indications of changes in protein concentrations typical of Alzheimer's disease. Although the clinical diagnosis of dementia is only made in later stages, the underlying Alzheimer's pathology can often be detected in advance today.
