Abstract: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional stage between normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recently, executive control deficits were considered as one of the core characteristics of MCI. At the present, we have little knowledge about the characteristics of conflict monitoring and resolution and the corresponding neural mechanisms of MCI. In the present proposal, we aim to explore whether persons with amnestic MCI (aMCI) would show impairments in the behavioral and neural mechanisms with cognitive and emotional conflict tasks. Meanwhile, through the comparison of neural circuit during processing cognitive and emotional conflict tasks between persons with aMCI and healthy controls, we intend to explore whether aMCI have deficits in neural circuit. Totally, we try to explore whether persons with aMCI have general deficits in conflict monitor and resolution of executive control, and we also try to find the cognitive and neurobiological markers of executive controls in aMCI. The present study will be helpful to understand the progression of AD, and also has important theoretical and practical implications for early identification and early intervention of MCI and AD.

Key words: mild cognitive impairment, executive control, cognitive conflict, emotional conflict, functional magnetic resonance imaging