Cognitive Testing: Does Family History Matter?

Three tips: What steps to take if you have a family history of Alzheimer's Disease.

Timely Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment is Important To Initiate Earlier Prevention.  Family members ask:

• "Will this happen to me?"
• "What is the state of my “brain health” right now?"
• "How can I detect any meaningful changes as early as possible?"
• "Can I track my brain health over time?"
• "Is there anything I can do to reduce my risk?"

Significant gaps remain in the detection of MCI, especially earlier in the disease when symptoms are subtle and are difficult to distinguish from normal aging.  

While no one can know with certainty if you are destined to develop Alzheimer’s, there are ways to know your brain’s current state of cognitive health and take meaningful steps to be proactive in optimizing your brain’s health.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to a small but measurable degree of cognitive decline caused by a medical condition. It has the prevalence as high as 42% in population-based studies of primary care practices [Pedersen et al. 2014].

• MCI is not usually detectable by casual conversation or observation, and approximately 60% of persons with MCI are unaware they have a memory problem [Purser et al. 2006]. Persons with MCI perform well-learned skills normally, such as cooking, shopping, paying bills, managing finances or driving, but have trouble incorporating and applying new knowledge.
• Indicators of MCI are difficulty remembering recent conversations or events, keeping track of schedule and appointments, or using new guidelines to manage a business.

Everyone is forgetful now and then. How can we distinguish between what is normal and benign or know when memory and cognitive abilities begin to signal the presence of an underlying medical condition?