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Classification criteria for mild cognitive impairment: a population-based validation study
Ritchie K, Artero S, Touchon J.. Neurology, 2001-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective To evaluate the predictive validity and temporal stability of diagnostic criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Background MCI has been proposed as a nosologic entity referring to elderly persons with subclinical cognitive deficits due to incipient dementia. Classification criteria, which have been derived from small, selected clinical groups, are currently disputed, and have not yet been assessed within the general population. Methods Subjects meeting current criteria for MCI and also age-associated cognitive decline (AACD-a similar concept that is assumed to be related to normal cognitive aging processes rather than incipient dementia) were identified within each of three waves of a longitudinal population study, which included a standardized neurologic examination. Results In the general population, the prevalence of MCI was estimated to be 3.2% and AACD 19.3%. MCI was a poor predictor of dementia within a 3-year period, with an 11.1% conversion rate. Subjects with MCI also constituted an unstable group, with almost all subjects changing category each year. Discriminant function analysis failed to isolate a homogeneous clinical group. Subjects classified as AACD, contrary to the theoretical assumptions underlying the disorder, represented a more stable group, with a 28.6% conversion rate to dementia over 3 years (relative risk = 21.2). Conclusion MCI criteria perform poorly when applied to a representative population sample. The authors propose modifications to current diagnostic criteria to increase their capacity to detect incipient dementia.
Key findings
- Results In the general population, the prevalence of MCI was estimated to be 3.2% and AACD 19.3%.
Why it matters
MCI criteria had been built from "small, selected clinical groups" and had never been tested in the general population. In this population study they "perform[ed] poorly": 3.2% of people met them, only 11.1% of those developed dementia within 3 years, and "almost all subjects" changed category from year to year. Unexpectedly, people labelled with age-associated cognitive decline (19.3%), a category assumed to reflect normal ageing, were a more stable group, and 28.6% of them developed dementia within 3 years, so the authors propose modifying the criteria rather than relying on them as they stood.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Effect size3.2%; 19.3%; 11.1%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 64/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2001 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 840 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 31.1 citations a year over 27 year(s) since 2001 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 25.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 76 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 19 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jacques Touchon: h-index 54 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Inserm: institution h-index 1,988 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 11148233) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 64 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Ritchie, K., Artero, S., & Touchon, J. (2001). Classification criteria for mild cognitive impairment: a population-based validation study. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.56.1.37
Vancouver
Ritchie K, Artero S, Touchon J. Classification criteria for mild cognitive impairment: a population-based validation study. Neurology. 2001. doi:10.1212/wnl.56.1.37. PMID: 11148233.
BibTeX
@article{ritchie2001-11148233,
author = {Ritchie, K. and Artero, S. and Touchon, J.},
title = {{Classification criteria for mild cognitive impairment: a population-based validation study}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2001},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.56.1.37},
pmid = {11148233},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.56.1.37}
}
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