The study will investigate structural and functional characteristics of the brain of dementia patients compared to healthy controls in order to get a better insight into importance of early biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's dementia. The methods for obtaining biomarkers incude magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG), electrocardiography (ECG) and neurophyshological assessments. Special parameters are being studied that have already been shown to detect changes in the early stages of Alzheimer's dementia.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Clinically diagnosed MCI patients and matched healthy controls

Exclusion Criteria:

• Metal in body and tatoos;
• Other chronic systemic neurological, cardiologic, metabolic or musculo-skeletal diseases which have been proven to influence the outcome variables
• Alcohol abuse
• Colour blindness
• Pregnancy
• Surgery in the last 6 months
• Uncorrected vision

Patients aged between 50 and 80 years will be recruited from the memory clinic at the Department of Neurology of the Otto von Guericke University Clinic, Magdeburg, Germany. The diagnosis of MCI/AD will be established by experienced neurologists of the memory clinic according to standardised criteria. Control participants will be matched by education, age and gender. These will be recruited through advertisement.