Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is today defined as a condition in which a person has problems with memory, language, or another mental function severe enough to be noticeable to other people and to show up on tests, but not serious enough to interfere with daily life.

Because the problems do not interfere with daily activities, the person does not meet criteria for being diagnosed with dementia. The best-studied type of MCI involves a memory problem and is called "amnestic MCI."

• Research has shown that individuals with MCI have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) over the next few years, especially when their main problem is memory.
• Not everyone diagnosed with MCI will develop AD.
• Results of a large, federally funded trial (www.alz.org) showed that 10 mg of donepezil (Aricept) daily can reduce the risk of progressing from amnestic MCI to AD for about a year, but the benefit disappears within three years.

A medical expert group, initiated by National Institute of Aging (NIA) and Alzheimer's Association (AA), has proposed a major change in the criteria for AD. The new guidelines include criteria for three stages of the disease: preclinical AD, MCI due to AD and lastly, AD dementia. The new diagnostic guidelines, presented at the ICAD congress in Hawaii in July 2010 is expected to be adopted in the US later this year, include the use of new biomarkers such as amyloid beta and tau proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and PET/MR imaging to a much larger extent than today.

MCItect® is intended to detect MCI due to AD at the very early stages of AD.
An early diagnosis of MCI may ensure early intervention and optimal patient care.

A blood based test to help identify MCI due to AD is vital for pharma companies developing disease modifying drugs for AD.