Dr Ali Mazaheri | Deciphering dementia's onset: EEG indicators in language processing among MCI patients

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a term used to describe individuals who exhibit both subjective and objective signs of cognitive decline, yet maintain their daily living activities and do not show symptoms of dementia. Unfortunately, about half of those diagnosed with MCI progress to develop dementia within five years of their MCI diagnosis. There's significant interest in determining which MCI patients will eventually develop dementia. The prevailing opinion is that early intervention might be the most effective strategy to delay or reduce the onset of dementia. Although most of the biomarkers designed to predict the transition to dementia center on memory, language abilities are suggested to be especially clinically relevant, especially when monitoring the shift from moderate to severe dementia stages. In this presentation, I will introduce a series of studies where EEG changes related to language processing were employed as a practical means to categorize individuals with MCI and to identify those poised to develop dementia in subsequent years. Additionally, I will touch on the future implications of this research.

Poster