Mild cognitive impairment: More than the usual forgetfulness

Some difficulty with remembering things (like names) and forgetting where you put things (like keys) is so typical that it's considered a normal part of aging.

But some people experience a middle ground of cognitive impairment that's worse than normal age-related problems but not as bad as dementia from Alzheimer's disease or other brain diseases. Researchers labeled this intermediate state "mild cognitive impairment" in the 1980s, and the name stuck.