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Mild cognitive impairment
Gauthier S, Reisberg B, Zaudig M, Petersen RC, Ritchie K, Broich K, Belleville S, Brodaty H et al.. Lancet (London, England), 2006-04-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Mild cognitive impairment is a syndrome defined as cognitive decline greater than expected for an individual's age and education level but that does not interfere notably with activities of daily life. Prevalence in population-based epidemiological studies ranges from 3% to 19% in adults older than 65 years. Some people with mild cognitive impairment seem to remain stable or return to normal over time, but more than half progress to dementia within 5 years. Mild cognitive impairment can thus be regarded as a risk state for dementia, and its identification could lead to secondary prevention by controlling risk factors such as systolic hypertension. The amnestic subtype of mild cognitive impairment has a high risk of progression to Alzheimer's disease, and it could constitute a prodromal stage of this disorder. Other definitions and subtypes of mild cognitive impairment need to be studied as potential prodromes of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.
Key findings
- Prevalence in population-based epidemiological studies ranges from 3% to 19% in adults older than 65 years.
- Some people with mild cognitive impairment seem to remain stable or return to normal over time, but more than half progress to dementia within 5 years.
- Mild cognitive impairment can thus be regarded as a risk state for dementia, and its identification could lead to secondary prevention by controlling risk factors such as systolic hypertension.
- The amnestic subtype of mild cognitive impairment has a high risk of progression to Alzheimer's disease, and it could constitute a prodromal stage of this disorder.
- Other definitions and subtypes of mild cognitive impairment need to be studied as potential prodromes of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.
Why it matters
This 2006 Lancet review describes mild cognitive impairment as cognitive decline greater than expected for a person's age and education that does not notably interfere with daily life, affecting 3% to 19% of over-65s in population studies. It reports that some people stay stable or return to normal, but more than half progress to dementia within five years, and that the amnestic subtype carries a high risk of Alzheimer's disease. The authors suggest that identifying MCI could allow secondary prevention by controlling risk factors such as systolic hypertension, a proposal rather than a tested result.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 64/100
Published in a top-tier journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (Lancet (London, England)) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | The Lancet: journal h-index 1,205 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2006 — 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 | 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 | 7 / 7 | Cited 3,860 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 175.5 citations a year over 22 year(s) since 2006 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 101.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 5 / 6 | Cited by 155 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 517 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Bengt G. Winblad: h-index 171 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Inserm: institution h-index 1,988 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 18 institution(s) in 7 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16631882) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 64 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription Unpaywall, Europe PMC and OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 10 Oct 2026), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
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. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Gauthier, S., Reisberg, B., Zaudig, M., Petersen, R. C., Ritchie, K., Broich, K., et al. (2006). Mild cognitive impairment. Lancet (London, England). https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(06)68542-5
Vancouver
Gauthier S, Reisberg B, Zaudig M, Petersen RC, Ritchie K, Broich K, et al. Mild cognitive impairment. Lancet (London, England). 2006. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(06)68542-5. PMID: 16631882.
BibTeX
@article{gauthier2006-16631882,
author = {Gauthier, S. and Reisberg, B. and Zaudig, M. and Petersen, R. C. and Ritchie, K. and Broich, K. and Belleville, S. and Brodaty, H. and others},
title = {{Mild cognitive impairment}},
journal = {Lancet (London, England)},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1016/s0140-6736(06)68542-5},
pmid = {16631882},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(06)68542-5}
}
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