Dementia and Cognitive Impairment: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Synopsis Clinicians can diagnose the syndromes of dementia (major neurocognitive disorder) and mild cognitive impairment (mild neurocognitive disorder) based on history, examination, and appropriate objective assessments, using standard criteria such as DSM-5. They can then diagnose the etiological subtypes of these syndromes using standard criteria for each of them. Brain imaging and biomarkers are gaining ground for the differential diagnoses among the different disorders. Treatments for the most part are still symptomatic.