Are there any new findings on how to stimulate the mind when an older person has a mild cognitive impairment or short-term memory loss?
Thank you for your question.
To summarize, new evidence suggests that "mild cognitive impairment," sometimes referred to as Age-Associated Memory Impairment (AAMI), is not as benign as previously thought and tends eventually to progress to frank dementia. Consequently, many psychiatrists and neurologists are using cholinesterase inhibitors for such patients early on; however, this is still controversial. I am not convinced that any other intervention is significantly helpful.
There is also a subset of patients who may score 30/30 on a simple, relatively insensitive screen such as the Mini-Mental State Exam but who, in fact, function more poorly than this would suggest. If these patients complain of organizational difficulties, problems initiating or completing
tasks, and overall slowing of mental activity, yet score well on standard dementia screens, they may have "executive dysfunction." This can be screened by using timed word-list generation tests or clock-drawing, or a referral could be made to a neuropsychologist for more fine-tuned
testing. Trials of Provigil (Modafenil) and other central stimulants are currently underway for such patients at the New York Presbyterian Hospital's Westchester Division (aka Payne Whitney-Westchester).
