Approved Research

Construction of a reversal model for mild cognitive impairment

Lay summary

Aims!This study aims to investigate the stability and trajectory of cognitve function in older adults as well as to explore the lifestyle factors (e.g. leisure activities, diet, and sleep) and biochemical markers (e.g. inflammatory index, blood glucose, blood lipid level) associated with reversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to normal cognitive function (NC).

Scientific rationale: MCI is considered to be an intermediate state between normal cognitive aging and early dementia, and it is a premorbid risk factor for dementia. However, the natural progression of MCI is not always linear. For example, previous MCI conversion studies reported that considerable numbers of MCI cases can either be reversible or remain stable over a long period of time. Studies have shown that nearly 24% of people with MCI can finally revert to normal cognitive function (NC). Most studies have focused on the progression from MCI to dementia, while relatively little attention has been paid to the reversion from MCI to NC.

Identifying the underlying mechanism or predictive factor for the cognitive recovery is crucial because it would provide prognostic values for dementia-related cognitive decline, as well as help with developing an intervention program. In addition, because of the existence of four MCI subtypes (mnestic MCI-Single Domain, Amnestic MCI-Multiple Domain, Non-Amnestic MCI Single Domain, and Non-Amnestic MCI-Multiple Domain), the literature on the meaning of reversion from MCI to CN remains inconclusive. Therefore, understanding the meaning of reversion from MCI to CN is important for both research and clinical practice.

Project duration: This project will last about three years, including data cleaning, imputation of missing value, data recoding, and data analysis.

Public health impact: At present, dementia is a global disease, and every three seconds occurs one new case of dementia globally. Dementia has become one of the important public health problems, and it brings a huge burden on patients, their families and the whole society. Therefore, it is critical to identify potential mechanisms and predictors of cognitive recovery in people with MCI, which will provide an important basis for preventing dementia-related cognitive decline.