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Advances of therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease
Guo X, Yue R, Cui Z, Wang S, Jia T, Li W, Zhang W, Shan L et al.. Journal of neurology, 2025-10-17
Topic: Drug trials: efficacy and safety
The past several decades have yielded deeper insights into the multifactorial pathogenesis and intervention strategies of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD pathogenesis involves a complex interplay of multiple factors, where the amyloid-beta hypothesis centers on abnormal Amyloid β (Aβ) aggregation triggering neurotoxicity, and the tau hypothesis focuses on hyperphosphorylated tau forming neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), while key risk modifiers, including the Apolipoprotein E (APOE4) allele, neuroinflammation, and vascular impairment, further exacerbate disease progression. This review addresses the advancement of AD therapeutic strategies, where Aβ-targeted immunotherapies, such as the approved lecanemab and donanemab, represent a major breakthrough by clearing amyloid plaques and slowing cognitive decline, though requiring careful monitoring for adverse effects like amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), and emerging approaches targeting tau pathology and APOE are under active investigation. It is also discussed that non-pharmacological strategies offer crucial complementary value, as integrated lifestyle interventions combining physical exercise, cognitive training, diet adherence, sleep optimization, and social engagement provide multidimensional benefits for disease delay through cost-effective and accessible means, establishing them as fundamental components of comprehensive AD management.
Key findings
- The past several decades have yielded deeper insights into the multifactorial pathogenesis and intervention strategies of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- AD pathogenesis involves a complex interplay of multiple factors, where the amyloid-beta hypothesis centers on abnormal Amyloid β (Aβ) aggregation triggering neurotoxicity, and the tau hypothesis focuses on hyperphosphorylated tau forming neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), while key risk modifiers, including the Apolipoprotein E (APOE4) allele, neuroinflammation, and vascular impairment, further exacerbate disease progression.
- This review addresses the advancement of AD therapeutic strategies, where Aβ-targeted immunotherapies, such as the approved lecanemab and donanemab, represent a major breakthrough by clearing amyloid plaques and slowing cognitive decline, though requiring careful monitoring for adverse effects like amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), and emerging approaches targeting tau pathology and APOE are under active investigation.
- It is also discussed that non-pharmacological strategies offer crucial complementary value, as integrated lifestyle interventions combining physical exercise, cognitive training, diet adherence, sleep optimization, and social engagement provide multidimensional benefits for disease delay through cost-effective and accessible means, establishing them as fundamental components of comprehensive AD management.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 41/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 24 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 41 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41107537) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 24 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 24 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 41 out of 100. |
| Total | 41 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Guo, X., Yue, R., Cui, Z., Wang, S., Jia, T., Li, W., et al. (2025). Advances of therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease. Journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-025-13456-8
Vancouver
Guo X, Yue R, Cui Z, Wang S, Jia T, Li W, et al. Advances of therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease. Journal of neurology. 2025. doi:10.1007/s00415-025-13456-8. PMID: 41107537.
BibTeX
@article{guo2025-41107537,
author = {Guo, X. and Yue, R. and Cui, Z. and Wang, S. and Jia, T. and Li, W. and Zhang, W. and Shan, L. and others},
title = {{Advances of therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Journal of neurology},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1007/s00415-025-13456-8},
pmid = {41107537},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-025-13456-8}
}
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