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Multidomain interventions for prevention of dementia: Achievements, challenges and future perspectives
Takashi Sakurai, Taiki Sugimoto, Hidenori Arai. Geriatrics and gerontology international/Geriatrics & gerontology international, 2025-06-17
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
With the aging of the population, the number of persons with dementia is expected to increase worldwide, making the establishment of preventive strategies for dementia an urgent issue. Several modifiable risk factors for dementia are known, and multidomain interventions that simultaneously intervene in multiple risks are becoming mainstream. This review aimed to overview multidomain intervention trials reported to date and ongoing trials regarding current challenges and future goals. Five multidomain intervention trials were published between 2015 and 2019, including the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER), but consistent cognitive improvements were not evident. In the 2020s, seven of 10 trials reported the beneficial effects of multidomain interventions on cognitive outcomes in older adults. The other three trials failed to show significant cognitive improvement, partly due to the devastating impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Pre-specified subanalysis showed improvements in dementia risk factors, such as physical inactivity and nutritional status. These results suggest that multidomain interventions can protect against cognitive decline in older adults at risk for dementia. The World-Wide FINGERS Network was launched in 2017 to adapt and optimize findings to various geographic, cultural and economic settings, and to develop a global network of researchers working on preventing cognitive decline. Further development of the multidomain intervention is needed to enable social implementation considering the targets, delivery methods, scalability and cost-effectiveness. Hopefully, in the future, dementia will be treated similarly to cardiovascular disease in terms of early detection and early intervention. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2025; 25: 1015-1034.
Key findings
- The other three trials failed to show significant cognitive improvement, partly due to the devastating impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
- These results suggest that multidomain interventions can protect against cognitive decline in older adults at risk for dementia.
Why it matters
This review of multidomain intervention trials reports that some trials showed benefits on cognitive outcomes in older adults at risk for dementia, while others, including three in the 2020s, failed to show significant cognitive improvement. It suggests these interventions may protect against cognitive decline, but the evidence is not consistent.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 40/100
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.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Geriatrics and gerontology international/Geriatrics & gerontology international) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Geriatrics and gerontology international/Geriatrics & gerontology international: journal h-index 103 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| 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 | 2 / 7 | Cited 13 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 4.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 13 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Hidenori Arai: h-index 89 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology: institution h-index 249 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40528521) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 40 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1111/ggi.70088
- PubMed: 40528521
- Original source →
- Free full text: Geriatrics and gerontology international/Geriatrics & gerontology international →
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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Sakurai, T., Sugimoto, T., & Arai, H. (2025). Multidomain interventions for prevention of dementia: Achievements, challenges and future perspectives. Geriatrics and gerontology international/Geriatrics & gerontology international. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.70088
Vancouver
Sakurai T, Sugimoto T, Arai H. Multidomain interventions for prevention of dementia: Achievements, challenges and future perspectives. Geriatrics and gerontology international/Geriatrics & gerontology international. 2025. doi:10.1111/ggi.70088. PMID: 40528521.
BibTeX
@article{sakurai2025-40528521,
author = {Sakurai, Takashi and Sugimoto, Taiki and Arai, Hidenori},
title = {{Multidomain interventions for prevention of dementia: Achievements, challenges and future perspectives}},
journal = {Geriatrics and gerontology international/Geriatrics \& gerontology international},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1111/ggi.70088},
pmid = {40528521},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.70088}
}
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