- 342studies in the library match, of 29,380
- 228name it in the title
- 1964–2027years published
- 326peer-reviewed articles
The query: title or abstract mentions "semaglutide", "liraglutide", "dulaglutide", "exenatide", "tirzepatide", "GLP-1", "glucagon-like peptide" or a brand name (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro), matched case-insensitively against each record's title and abstract (its summary field) in alzhub's library of 29,380 study records, as of 2026-11-08. Every count on this page comes from that match. The matched list as JSON.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide, exenatide, and the dual agonist tirzepatide) lower blood sugar and body weight and act on inflammation and blood vessels. Because diabetes and obesity raise dementia risk, and because the drugs reach the brain, researchers have asked whether they protect against or slow Alzheimer's.
The evidence comes from two directions: observational studies comparing dementia rates in people prescribed the drugs with people on other diabetes treatments, and randomised trials that measure cognition or Alzheimer's progression directly. The two kinds of study can disagree.
This page describes what published research in alzhub's library reports. It is not medical advice and does not apply to any one person: a doctor who knows the person's history is the only one who can say what a result or a treatment means for them.
What the studies report, in their own words
Whole sentences copied from the abstract or key findings of the highest-scoring matched studies, chosen because they mention the subject and give a figure. 8 of the 342 matched records are quoted; each links to its study page and from there to the paper.
“The most effective drugs in reducing body weight were tirzepatide (mean difference (MD) -8.63 kg (95% confidence interval -9.34 to -7.93); moderate certainty) and orforglipron (MD -7.87 kg (-10.24 to -5.50); low certainty), followed by eight other GLP-1RAs (high to moderate certainty).”
“Neither GLP-1 receptor agonists nor other SGLT2 inhibitors showed significant preventive effects for any of the investigated neurodegenerative conditions.”
“No significant difference in clinical decline (CDR-SB) between semaglutide and placebo in either trial: EVOKE difference −0.08 (95% CI −0.35 to 0.20, p=0.57); EVOKE+ difference 0.10 (95% CI −0.17 to 0.38, p=0.46)”
“Methods evoke and evoke+ are randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials investigating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of once-daily oral semaglutide versus placebo in early-stage symptomatic AD.”
“GLP-1 RAs were associated with a reduced risk of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) (pooled HR 0.70, 95% CI: 0.53-0.92, I2 = 38%) but no improvements in motor symptoms in established PD (MDS-UPDRS Part III off-medication: mean difference -3.29, 95% CI: -7.84, 1.26, I2 = 80%).”
“No significant between-group effects of exenatide on ADAS-Cog11 score (p = 0.17) were detected.”
“The secondary outcome-score on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Executive domain (ADAS-Exec)-performed better in liraglutide-treated patients compared to placebo (0.15; 95% confidence interval: 0.03-0.28; unadjusted P = 0.01).”
“Each matched cohort included 23,386 (semaglutide vs sitagliptin), 22,584 (vs empagliflozin), and 19,206 (vs glipizide) patients.”
What kind of evidence it is
By study design
| Design (as recorded) | Studies |
|---|---|
| Systematic review or meta-analysis | 23 |
| Randomised controlled trial | 3 |
| Other clinical trial | 11 |
| Cohort or longitudinal study | 21 |
| Case-control study | 1 |
| Cross-sectional study | 2 |
| Other recorded design | 3 |
| No design recorded | 278 |
The design is the one named in alzhub's record for the study; a record with none is counted as "no design recorded".
By year
| Year | Studies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 36 | |
| 2025 | 53 | |
| 2024 | 27 | |
| 2023 | 16 | |
| 2022 | 19 | |
| 2021 | 14 | |
| 2020 | 15 | |
| 2019 | 27 | |
| 2018 | 18 | |
| 2017 and earlier | 116 |
Other counts within the matched set
| Peer-reviewed articles | 326 |
| Marked open access in the record | 87 |
| Rated "high" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 47 |
| Rated "moderate" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 22 |
| Rated "low" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 269 |
| No evidence-strength rating | 4 |
| Records stating a participant count | 57 |
| Median participants (those records) | 1,444 |
| Largest participant count | 3,462,926 |
Within the 342 matched studies
| Studies… | Count | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| …that are randomised trials | 37 | the abstract also contains "randomised" or "randomized" |
| …that name semaglutide | 56 | the abstract also contains "semaglutide", "Ozempic" or "Wegovy" |
| …that mention diabetes | 216 | the abstract also contains "diabetes" or "diabetic" |
The 10 highest-scoring matched studies
Title matches first, then by alzhub's usefulness score, which rates a study's design, journal, evidence and recency, not whether its result is good news.
- The pharmacodynamics-based prophylactic benefits of GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors on neurodegenerative diseases: evidence from a network meta-analysis
- Clinical Evidence for GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review
- Efficacy and safety of oral semaglutide 14 mg (flexible dose) in early-stage symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (EVOKE and EVOKE+): two phase 3, randomised, placebo-controlled trials
- evoke and evoke+: design of two large-scale, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 studies evaluating efficacy, safety, and tolerability of semaglutide in early-stage symptomatic Alzheimer's disease
- Effect of Glucagon-Like-Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RA) on Neuropsychiatric Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Long-acting exenatide does not prevent cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment: a proof-of-concept clinical trial
- Inflammatory proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease reduced by a GLP1 receptor agonist: a post hoc analysis of the EXSCEL randomized placebo controlled trial
- Liraglutide in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a phase 2b clinical trial
- 12-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes of semaglutide use for type 2 diabetes: a propensity-score matched cohort study
- Effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists on neurological complications of diabetes
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the set
23 of the matched records are recorded as a systematic review, meta-analysis or umbrella review; the highest-scoring not already listed above:
- Medications for adults with type 2 diabetes: a living systematic review and network meta-analysis
- Newer glucose-lowering drugs and risk of dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
- Diabetes, antidiabetic medications and risk of dementia: A systematic umbrella review and meta-analysis
- Comparative efficacy and acceptability of antidiabetic agents for Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
- Cardioprotective Glucose-Lowering Agents and Dementia Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Newest matched studies
- The metabolic-brain axis: GLP-1 signaling, insulin resistance, and obesity pharmacotherapy in neurodegeneration
- Beyond Glycemic Control: The Pleiotropic Role of GLP-1RAs and Melatonin in Combating Neuroinflammation and Mitochondrial Dysfunction
- Interventions for Cognitive Impairment in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An Umbrella Review of Pharmacological and Lifestyle Strategies, Mechanisms, and Clinical Implications
- In Vivo Transcriptomics-Based Framework for Systematic Indication Expansion
- Patterns of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Initiation Compared With Other Glucose-Lowering and Anti-Obesity Therapies Among Older Adults
Journals with the most matched studies
| Journal | Studies |
|---|---|
| Neuropharmacology | 11 |
| International journal of molecular sciences | 9 |
| European journal of pharmacology | 8 |
| Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD | 8 |
| medRxiv | 7 |
Questions
- Do GLP-1 drugs prevent dementia?
- That is what the studies below test, and they do not all agree: some observational studies report lower dementia rates in people taking them, while randomised trials measure the effect directly and have been more mixed. Read the quoted results with the design of each study in mind.
- How many studies on semaglutide and glp-1 drugs does alzhub hold?
- 342 of the 29,380 study records in alzhub's library match the query "title or abstract mentions "semaglutide", "liraglutide", "dulaglutide", "exenatide", "tirzepatide", "GLP-1", "glucagon-like peptide" or a brand name (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro)"; 228 of them name it in the title. Counted from the records when this page was built.
- What kinds of study are they?
- 23 systematic review or meta-analysis, 3 randomised controlled trials, 11 other clinical trials, 21 cohort or longitudinal studys, 1 case-control study, 2 cross-sectional studys; 278 record no design.
- What is the most recent study in the set?
- "The metabolic-brain axis: GLP-1 signaling, insulin resistance, and obesity pharmacotherapy in neurodegeneration" (Metabolism: clinical and experimental, 2026), the newest by publication date among the matched records.
- Which journals publish most on it?
- Neuropharmacology (11); International journal of molecular sciences (9); European journal of pharmacology (8), counted across the matched records.
Read on
- TreatmentsDrugs in trials, including repurposed ones.
- Diabetes and Alzheimer'sThe risk link these drugs are meant to act on.
- Risk factors, rankedDiabetes and obesity among the modifiable risks.