Early Diagnosis of Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment Through the Parameterization of Functional Tests.

Early Diagnosis of Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment Through the Parameterization of Functional Tests.

The present study aims to develop an index formed by the variables, functional tests, scales and instruments that best discriminate between healthy subjects and subjects with MCI and that allows the stratification of different levels of severity of MCI, and to validate new systems for the early diagnosis of subjects with mild cognitive impairment.

Dementia affects 46.8 million people and in 2050 it is expected that there will be between 115-135 million people suffering from dementia. Inside dementias, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) has a prevalence in adults aged ≥65 years of 10-20%.

Patients with MCI also show greater progression towards dementia, higher mortality and disability, and a greater use of medical care compared to cognitively normal subjects that converts MCI into an important public health problem, which reinforces the need to perfect clinic assessment procedures to improve the early identification of individuals with MCI. Early diagnosis could allow effective medical treatments that prevent or slow the onset of dementia, and could improve the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions.

Currently, it can be used an Inertial Sensor and 3D motion capture systems with a camera to analyse kinematics and these instruments are being integrated as a rehabilitation tool in patients. The use of Inertial Sensor and 3D motion capture cameras would help to find fast and cheap assessment methods for professionals.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Subjects over 60 years of age.
• Healthy subjects and subjects diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.
• Subjects able of filling out questionnaires and performing functional tests.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants with neurological pathologies other than mild cognitive impairment.
• Participation in an experimental study where they receive a treatment.
• Score on the Mini-Mental State Examination of less than 24.
• Inability to get up from the chair at least 5 times or 30 seconds
• Inability to walk 20 meters.
• Inability to raise up both arms to 90 degrees or lifting 2 kg with the hand.
• Inability to walk independently without a walking assistance device (cane, crutch or walker).
• Patients with prescription of beta-blockers.
• Inability to provide informed consent.