title: Mild behavioral impairment: Ethical, methodological and clinical reflections.
abstract: The concept of "mild behavioral impairment" (MBI) has been recently introduced and tentatively operationalized. The rationale supporting the need of such novel construct is that neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), even when they do not configure major psychiatric disorders, may still constitute early manifestations of neurodegenerative diseases, potentially anticipating the onset of dementia. The conception of MBI as a potential pre-dementia phenotype is surely of interest because posing special attention to neuropsychiatric symptoms and their negative implications. Nevertheless, several issues should be carefully considered in the definition of MBI and are discussed in the present Commentary.
authors: Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: marco.canevelli@gmail.com.
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Canevelli
authors: INSERM UMR 1027, Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France; Health Ethics and Policy Lab, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Blasimme
authors: National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Health Promotion, National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy.
authors: Nicola
authors: N
authors: Vanacore
authors: Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy.
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Bruno
authors: INSERM UMR 1027, Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France; Gérontopôle, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
authors: Matteo
authors: M
authors: Cesari
mesh_terms: D003704:Dementia; D006801:Humans; D009014:Morals; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases
keywords: Dementia; Neuropsychiatric symptoms; Overdiagnosis; Pre-dementia conditions