Best Answer: Cognitive impairment is defined as a measurable change in cognitive function. It Affects the ability to think, concentrate, formulate ideas, reason and remember. It is distinct from a learning disability insofar as it may have been aquired later in life as a result of an accident or illness.hile mild cognitive impairment can affect many areas of cognition — such as language, attention, reasoning, judgment, reading and writing — most research has focused on its effects on memory. The disorder can be divided into two broad subtypes.