Mild cognitive impairment

Abstract

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a controversial label for forms of age-related, intellectual difficulties unassociated with impairments in activities of daily living. The principal issue is whether this arbitrary, heterogeneous and unreliable term is appropriate to use clinically. Persons with the label MCI may progress to different types of dementia, stay stable, or even improve. In this article we offer a philosophical analysis of MCI from epistemological, ethical and semantic perspectives. We believe that the term should currently not be used clinically.