November 13, 2003   

OSCAR LOPEZ, M.D. PUBLISHED ARCHIVES OF NEUROLOGY

New Castle, PA  - Oscar Lopez, M.D. is the Research Associate Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Neurology Department.  He has been a member of the Jameson Memorial Hospital consulting medical staff since 1992.  Presently, Dr. Lopez operates the Neurology Clinic at the Jameson South Campus on Fridays.

On October 2003, Dr. Lopez was published in The Archives of Neurology on his research in mild cognitive impairment (MCI).  MCI is a broadly defined condition that affects areas of the brain that process memory and language and the areas that help maintain attention and focus, but the deficits are not severe enough to be considered dementia.  As the lead author of the study, Dr. Lopez said, “We were surprised at how prevalent the condition was and how other medical conditions increased people’s risk to have MCI.  This emphasizes the importance of good medical care in preventing the development of brain disease.”  MCI can be the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in some cases.  This is particularly important since early diagnosis and intervention can slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Studies done for over a decade were based on a group of about 3,600 people, ages 75 and older, from Pittsburgh, California, North Carolina and Maryland who were part of the Cardiovascular Health Study.  Nearly 19 percent of the group and about 22 percent of the Pittsburgh participants had a mild cognitive impairment.  Among people 85 and older, the incidence was 29 percent. 

In some cases patients had small silent strokes where small areas of the brain were damaged without causing obvious symptoms and in other situations patients were taking sleeping pills or other drugs that affected brain function.  Dr. Lopez said, “This is the first time that we’re getting the big picture in the community.  Now we have some numbers to work with.” 

Dr. Lopez emphasized that memory loss is not the sole sign of MCI.  Cognitive impairments can include confusion, concentration problems and short attention spans.  Often family members say that the patient just doesn’t seem like the same person.  Patients might disregard these subtleties or say it’s just normal aging, but in some situations, there are treatment possibilities.

A Scripps Howard News Service reporter interviewed Dr. Lopez for the New York Times Daily newspaper.  He was also interviewed for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and has been quoted in many magazines such as Good Housekeeping.

###