Mild cognitive impairment & Rarer causes of dementia

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a relatively recent term, used to describe people who have some problems with their memory but do not actually have dementia.

Other rarer causes of dementia include progressive supranuclear palsy and Binswanger's disease. People with multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease can also be at an increased risk of developing dementia.

Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder where people have an extra chromosome 21. This causes delays and limitations in physical and intellectual development. People with Down Syndrome appear to age more rapidly than other persons in the general population and are thus at greater risk of Alzheimer's disease than are peers of a similar age. Many individuals with Down Syndrome who live past 35 develop the characteristic markers for Alzheimer's disease (plaque/tangles in the brain). Those people with a developmental disability are at a greater risk for Alzheimer's disease if the individual is over 40 and if the individual has a history of Alzheimer's disease in their family.