Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients are at increased risk of developing dementia. There is a conflict if cognitive interventions can improve cognitive and functional performances in order to delay the development of dementia. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a holistic cognitive rehabilitation program on patients with MCI. Methods: The participants, 176 MCI patients with Mini-Mental State Examination = 27.89 (1.73), were classified into 2 groups matched for age, gender, education and cognitive abilities: (1) patients (104) on nonpharmacological therapy and (2) patients (72) on no therapy at all. The effectiveness of the interventions was assessed by neuropsychological evaluation performed at baseline and at the end of the interventions. Results: Between-group difference in benefit of the experimental group was demonstrated in abilities of executive function (p = 0.004), verbal memory (p = 0.003), praxis (p ≤ 0.012), daily function (p = 0.001) and general cognitive ability (p ≤ 0.005). The experimental patients improved cognitive and functional performances, while the control patients demonstrated deterioration in daily function (p = 0.004). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that nonpharmacological therapy of the holistic approach can improve MCI patients’ cognitive and functional performances.

We sought to longitudinally evaluate the potential association of educational level with performance on verbal and nonverbal tasks in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We evaluated patients with MCI, age >50 years, no medication intake, absent vascular risk factors, and no lesions on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Each patient underwent a clinical assessment packet and a series of neuropsychological tests of the language and constructional praxis subtests of Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMGOG) and the Boston naming test (BNT), at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Educational levels were defined taking into account the total years of education, the school level, and diplomas. MCI patients with low education level showed a stepwise reduction in scores of naming objects (NO; P = 0.009), definition (DF; P = 0.012), language (LT; P = 0.021), constructional praxis (CD; P = 0.022), confrontation naming skills (BXB; P = 0.033), phonemic help (BFB; P = 0.041), and BNT (P = 0.002). Analysis of covariance, controlling for baseline scores, showed that education was associated with NO score (P = 0.002), DF score (P = 0.005), LT (P = 0.008), CD score (P = 0.008), BXB score (44.36 ± 1.84, P = 0.0001), BFB (P = 0.022), and BNT (P = 0.004). Our findings indicate that education appeared to affect verbal and nonverbal task performance in MCI patients. Despite the fact that higher educated patients are more acquainted with the tasks, slower deterioration in consecutive follow-up examinations could be explained by the cognitive reserve theory. The potential association of this protective effect with delayed onset of symptoms deserves further investigation.

Stroke survivors are at increased risk of developing depression and cognitive decline. Thus, it is crucial for both clinicians and stroke survivors to be provided with timely and accurate prognostication of post-stroke depression (PSD) and post-stroke dementia (PSDem). Several biomarkers regarding stroke patients’ propensity to develop PSD and PSDem have been implemented so far, leukoaraiosis (LA) being among them. The purpose of the present study was to review all available work published within the last decade dealing with pre-existing LA as a predictor of depression (PSD) and cognitive dysfunction (cognitive impairment or PSDem) in stroke patients. A literature search of two databases (MEDLINE and Scopus) was conducted to identify all relevant studies published between 1 January 2012 and 25 June 2022 that dealt with the clinical utility of preexisting LA as a prognostic indicator of PSD and PSDem/cognitive impairment. Only full-text articles published in the English language were included. Thirty-four articles were traced and are included in the present review. LA burden, serving as a surrogate marker of “brain frailty” among stroke patients, appears to be able to offer significant information about the possibility of developing PSD or cognitive dysfunction. Determining the extent of pre-existing white matter abnormalities can properly guide decision making in acute stroke settings, as a greater degree of such lesioning is usually coupled with neuropsychiatric aftermaths, such as PSD and PSDem.

Background: Prolonged periods of social deprivation, such as COVID-19-related lockdowns, are associated with deleterious effects on cognitive functions. Objective: The aim of this study was to gauge the effect of prolonged social isolation on the cognitive function of older adults with neurocognitive disorders. Methods: We recruited 125 older adults with minor or major neurocognitive disorders divided into two groups. The control group was tested at the first period of the study (October 2018–May 2019), whereas the experimental group was evaluated at the second chronological period of the study (October 2020–May 2021) during the second wave of COVID-19. Neuropsychological tests were performed at baseline and six months after baseline. Results: In the control group, significant changes in the scores from the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA; p = 0.049) and the Functional Rating Scale for Symptoms of Dementia (FRSSD; p = 0.005) were found between baseline and follow-up assessments, whereas no changes were identified in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; p = 0.229) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS; p = 0.619) scores. In the experimental group, the scores from all neuropsychological tests (MoCA, MMSE, GDS, and FRSSD; p < 0.001 for all) were significantly different at follow-up when compared with those at baseline measurements. Moreover, significant deterioration of specific functions assessed in MMSE and FRSSD was detected, especially in the experimental group. Conclusion: This study highlights cognitive functions directly affected by social deprivation of individuals with neurocognitive disorders. The findings can be used in the rehabilitation from confinement and its negative consequences.