MCI is a clinically useful concept

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has become a major issue in the fields of geriatrics, behavioral neurology and geriatric psychiatry. While some have embraced the construct as a step forward in understanding the prodromal stages of dementing disorders, others have assailed the concept as counterproductive and distracting. Perhaps this is appropriate, since any new proposal for the clinical characterization of impaired subjects should undergo strict scrutiny.