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Neurocognitive Disorders
What are neurocognitive disorders (NCDs)?
NCDs are syndromes where the core symptom is cognitive impairment affecting at least one domain (complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor, or social cognition), based on the concern of an individual, a knowledgeable informant, or the clinician, leading to a persistent decline in level of functioning as evidenced by performance on an objective assessment (like standardized neuropsychological testing or quantified clinical assessment).
The underlying pathology of NCD is usually acquired and not neurodevelopmental, and its etiology can frequently be determined.
The new nomenclature was developed for DSM-5.
It further classifies NCDs as major or mild , according to cognitive and functional impairment.
They are also distinguished by level of impairment, i.e., substantial versus modest, and degree of independence in everyday activities.
Both major and mild NCDs are further specified by etiology, i.e., likely due to AD, frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), Lewy body disease, vascular disease, traumatic brain injury, substance/medication use, human immunodeficiency virus infection, prion disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, or another medical condition or stemming from multiple etiologies.
Major NCD corresponds closely to the conditions referred to as dementia in the DSM-IV but is broader than the older term.
Mild cognitive disorder on the other hand is substantially congruent with the condition of mild cognitive impairment.
Sources
Bradshaw JL, Mattingley JB: Clinical neuropsychology . San Diego: Academic Press, 1995. Damasio A, Tranel D, Rizzo M: Disorders of complex visual processing. In Mesulam MM (ed): Principles of behavioral and cognitive neurology, ed 2. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. 294-315. Feinberg TE, Farah MJ: Behavioral neurology and neuropsychology , ed 2 . New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Moore DP, Puri BK: Textbook of clinical neuropsychiatry and behavioral neuroscience, ed 3. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2012. Geschwind Syndrome : Benson DF: The Geschwind syndrome. Adv Neurol 55:411-421, 1991. Kluver-Bucy Syndrome : Lippe S, Gonin-Flambois C, Jambaqué I: The neuropsychology of the Klüver-Bucy syndrome in children. Handb Clin Neurol 112:1285-1288, 2013. Sollberger M, Rankin KP, Miller BL: Social cognition. Continuum Lifelong Learning Neurol 16(4):69-85, 2010. Charles Bonnet Syndrome : Pelak VS: Visual hallucinations and higher cortical visual dysfunction. Continuum Lifelong Learning Neurol 15(4):93-105, 2009. Lerario A, Ciammola A, Poletti B, Girotti F, Silani V: Charles Bonnet syndrome: two case reports and review of the literature. J Neurol 260(4):1180-1186, 2013.
