A Population-based Longitudinal Study in Chinese Elderly.

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Concepts of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) have generated comprehensive interest over the last decade (Bennett, et al., 2002; Flicker, et al., 1991; Petersen, et al., 1999; Petersen, 2004; Ritchie, et al., 2000). Etiologically, the term “amnestic MCI” likely represents a prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (Petersen, 2004). As MCI research advanced, concepts of MCI have been extended to subtypes other than amnestic MCI, as well as MCI prodromal for other dementia subtypes, such as vascular dementia (VaD) (Meyer, et al., 2002; Petersen, 2004). Terms such as “vascular cognitive impairment(VCI)”, “vascular MCI”, or “vascular cognitive impairment, no dementia (vascular CIND)”, have been recently proposed to describe individuals with cognitive impairment resulting from vascular changes, such as large or small vessel disease, that fail to meet criteria for dementia (Ingles, et al., 2002; Gauthier, et al., 2003). Cognitive profiles of amnestic MCI have been studied extensively reaching the consensus that episodic memory impairments are consistent with cognitive deficits, which are similar to but less severe,than AD (Collie, et al., 2000; Flicker, et al., 1991; Petersen, et al, 1999). However, less attention has been directed to characterizing cognitive patterns of vascular MCI, as a prodromeof VaD: findings were controversial (De Jager, 2004; Galluzzi, et al., 2005; Garrett, et al., 2004; Laukka, et al., 2004; Sachdev, et al., 2004).