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Closing the gap in dementia research by community-based cohort studies in the Chinese population
Xiaowen Zhou, Zhenxu Xiao, Wanqing Wu, Yuntao Chen, Changzheng Yuan, Yue Leng, Yao Yao, Qianhua Zhao et al.. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 2025-01-21
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
China accounts for 1/5 of the global population and China faces a particularly heavy dementia burden due to its rapidly ageing population. Unique historical events, genetic background, sociocultural factors, lifestyle, and the COVID-19 pandemic further influence cognitive outcomes in the Chinese population. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase for community-based cohort studies related to dementia in the Chinese population, and summarized the characteristics, methodologies, and major findings published over the last 25 years from 39 cohorts. We identified critical research gaps and propose future directions, including enhancing sample representativeness, investigating China-specific risk factors, expanding exposure measurements to the whole life-span, collecting objective data, conducting administer-friendly domain-specific cognitive assessments, adopting pathological diagnostic criteria, standardizing biobank construction, verifying multi-modal biomarkers, examining social and genetic-environmental aspects, and monitoring post-COVID cognitive health, to approach high quality of dementia studies that can provide solid evidence to policy making and promote global brain health research.
Key findings
- China accounts for 1/5 of the global population and China faces a particularly heavy dementia burden due to its rapidly ageing population.
- Unique historical events, genetic background, sociocultural factors, lifestyle, and the COVID-19 pandemic further influence cognitive outcomes in the Chinese population.
- We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase for community-based cohort studies related to dementia in the Chinese population, and summarized the characteristics, methodologies, and major findings published over the last 25 years from 39 cohorts.
- We identified critical research gaps and propose future directions, including enhancing sample representativeness, investigating China-specific risk factors, expanding exposure measurements to the whole life-span, collecting objective data, conducting administer-friendly domain-specific cognitive assessments, adopting pathological diagnostic criteria, standardizing biobank construction, verifying multi-modal biomarkers, examining social and genetic-environmental aspects, and monitoring post-COVID cognitive health, to approach high quality of dementia studies that can provide solid evidence to policy making and promote global brain health research.
Why it matters
This review summarises community-based cohort studies of dementia in the Chinese population and identifies research gaps and future directions. It is about improving research methodology and evidence, not treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Getting a diagnosis →
Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific: journal h-index 66 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” 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 | 1 / 7 | Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Ding Ding: h-index 39 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 9 institution(s) in 4 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39902152) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101465
- PubMed: 39902152
- Original source →
- Free full text: The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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
Zhou, X., Xiao, Z., Wu, W., Chen, Y., Yuan, C., Leng, Y., et al. (2025). Closing the gap in dementia research by community-based cohort studies in the Chinese population. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101465
Vancouver
Zhou X, Xiao Z, Wu W, Chen Y, Yuan C, Leng Y, et al. Closing the gap in dementia research by community-based cohort studies in the Chinese population. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101465. PMID: 39902152.
BibTeX
@article{zhou2025-39902152,
author = {Zhou, Xiaowen and Xiao, Zhenxu and Wu, Wanqing and Chen, Yuntao and Yuan, Changzheng and Leng, Yue and Yao, Yao and Zhao, Qianhua and others},
title = {{Closing the gap in dementia research by community-based cohort studies in the Chinese population}},
journal = {The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101465},
pmid = {39902152},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101465}
}
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