Under the direction of Ranjan Duara, MD, the Wien Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, initiated the MCI Symposium in 2003.

The purpose of the first and subsequent symposia has been to provide a forum where new information is provided and in-depth discussions take place about the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions that result in cognitive impairment in the elderly.   The symposia have featured national and international experts in the fields of neurology, neuropsychology, psychiatry, geriatrics, epidemiology, genetics, imaging and neuropathology. Other topics of discussion have included the biology, early detection, prevention and treatment of conditions that result in cognitive impairment in the elderly.

Each symposium has had a central theme presented in the format of three or four half-day minisymposia (each with its own subtheme) over a two-day period.   Starting with the 10th Annual MCI Symposium in 2012, the second day of the Symposium has been devoted to a Workshop in which practical issues related to diagnosis or treatment of conditions leading to MCI and dementia were discussed.   In 2013, the MCI Symposium included the First Alzheimer’s Public Educational Forum for patients, at-risk family members and caregivers. This segment originated in response to the need for increased information from the general public about risk factors, early detection, prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related conditions.