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Does mild cognitive impairment always lead to dementia? A review
Pandya SY, Clem MA, Silva LM, Woon FL.. Journal of the neurological sciences, 2016-07-26
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has often been studied in its association with dementia, yet higher rates of reversion to normal cognition than progression to dementia suggest that MCI does not necessarily lead to dementia. Compared to the numerous studies on MCI progression, relatively few have examined reversion. This paper highlights the current literature on characteristics and predictive factors of MCI reversion, along with an overview of studies on MCI patients who remain diagnostically stable (i.e., MCI stability). Of the available studies, predictors of reversion have been noted in areas of cognitive/global functioning, demographic/genetic/biomarker data, and personality/lifestyle factors. However, there is a need for increased study of MCI reversion, considering that patients in this group can fluctuate between different trajectories of MCI (e.g., normal cognition back to MCI or even progression to dementia) within a given follow-up time period. Further examination of reversion via a longitudinal, multifactorial approach would better inform clinicians regarding the likelihood of reversion amongst MCI patients and subsequently modify treatment methods accordingly. Furthermore, researchers would have greater power in detecting treatment effects in their clinical intervention studies of early dementia by improving selection criteria to exclude MCI participants who are more likely to revert and remain cognitively normal than progress to a dementia.
Key findings
- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has often been studied in its association with dementia, yet higher rates of reversion to normal cognition than progression to dementia suggest that MCI does not necessarily lead to dementia.
- Compared to the numerous studies on MCI progression, relatively few have examined reversion.
Why it matters
This review notes that more people with mild cognitive impairment revert to normal cognition than progress to dementia, so mild cognitive impairment does not always lead to dementia. It calls for more study of reversion and suggests better selection criteria could improve future treatment trials, but it reports no treatment itself.
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 52/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the neurological sciences) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of the Neurological Sciences: journal h-index 233 (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 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 150 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 12.5 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 7 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 48 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Fu Lye M. Woon: h-index 18 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: institution h-index 1,356 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 27653867) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 52 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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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
Pandya, S. Y., Clem, M. A., Silva, L. M., & Woon, F. L. (2016). Does mild cognitive impairment always lead to dementia? A review. Journal of the neurological sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2016.07.055
Vancouver
Pandya SY, Clem MA, Silva LM, Woon FL. Does mild cognitive impairment always lead to dementia? A review. Journal of the neurological sciences. 2016. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2016.07.055. PMID: 27653867.
BibTeX
@article{pandya2016-27653867,
author = {Pandya, S. Y. and Clem, M. A. and Silva, L. M. and Woon, F. L.},
title = {{Does mild cognitive impairment always lead to dementia? A review}},
journal = {Journal of the neurological sciences},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1016/j.jns.2016.07.055},
pmid = {27653867},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2016.07.055}
}
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