Diagnosis and assessment of age-associated memory impairment.

Age-associated memory impairment (AAMI) is a diagnostic term applied to healthy persons greater than 50 years of age who have experienced a gradual decline in memory that lies within the boundaries of normality. Although the behavioral deficits associated with AAMI are modest in comparison to those associated with dementing disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, they are quite troublesome to many middle-aged and elderly adults engaged in intellectually demanding activities. In this article, diagnostic criteria for AAMI will be provided, new psychometric instruments for assessing the behavioral deficits seen in AAMI will be described, and results of large multinational studies with these instruments will be presented. Finally, behavioral and pharmacologic strategies for treating AAMI will be discussed.