Each study has a usefulness score out of 100 (rubric version 4.0). Tap a score to see what makes it up.
Download bibliography of all 8,032 studies, highest score first: BibTeX (.bib) · RIS (.ris)
Highest usefulness score first. Studies without a score come last.
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This pilot study was unable to demonstrate a benefit for donepezil in preventing or treating delirium in a relatively young and cognitively-intact group of elderly patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery.
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The presence of multiple cardiovascular risk factors at midlife substantially increases risk of late-life dementia in a dose dependent manner.
Why it matters
In 8,845 members of a health plan who had check-ups at age 40–44 (1964–1973), those with high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes or who smoked were each more likely to have a dementia diagnosis in their medical records in 1994–2003 (hazard ratios 1.24 to 1.46). Risk rose with the number of factors: compared with none, the hazard was 1.27 with one factor and 2.37 with all four (95% CI 1.10 to 5.10, a wide range). This is an observational study of dementia in general, not Alzheimer's specifically, and it does not test whether treating these factors lowers dementia risk.
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EGb was safe and appears capable of stabilizing and, in a substantial number of cases, improving the cognitive performance and the social functioning of demented patients for 6 months to 1 year.
Why it matters
In this 52-week trial, patients taking Ginkgo biloba extract had slightly better scores than placebo on some measures of cognition and behavior. The study was designed to assess symptoms in people who already had dementia, not to prevent or cure the disease.
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Delirium in the elderly appears to have a poor prognosis.
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Among older adults at risk of cognitive decline and dementia, a structured, higher-intensity intervention had a statistically significant greater benefit on global cognition compared with an unstructured, self-guided intervention.
Why it matters
In this randomized trial of 2,111 older adults, a structured lifestyle program improved global cognition significantly more than a self-guided version of the same components over two years. The year-over-year difference between groups was modest in absolute terms, though the benefit was consistent across age, sex, ethnicity, heart-health status, and APOE ε4 carrier status.
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We found that multiple sleep measures predicted future risk of stroke and dementia, but these associations were attenuated after controlling for cardiovascular risk factors and were absent in MR analyses for Alzheimer disease.
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75/100
While genome wide association studies (GWASs) of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in European (EUR) ancestry cohorts have identified approximately 83 potentially independent AD risk loci, progress in non-European populations has lagged.
Why it matters
This genome-wide association study in an African descent cohort found significant associations in the region of APOE, in ROBO1, and in RNA RP11-340A13.2, with additional signals near known risk genes in a meta-analysis. These are genetic risk findings and do not show how to treat, cure, or prevent Alzheimer's disease.
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The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is the best-known and the most often used short screening tool for providing an overall measure of cognitive impairment in clinical, research and community settings.
Why it matters
This review included 11 studies of 1569 people with mild cognitive impairment to see whether the Mini-Mental State Examination can detect who later develops dementia. It is a review of a screening tool for early detection, not a treatment, cure, or prevention study.
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Among 34 349 participants, 26 088 who self-reported Black or White race, were free of stroke and dementia, and had covariate data at or before the first cognitive assessment were included for analysis.
Why it matters
This pooled analysis found that women had higher baseline cognitive performance but faster cognitive decline than men. It concerns sex differences in cognitive decline and does not test any treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Higher MCI prevalence was identified in community-dwelling older adult populations in China compared with some other countries, possibly due to more broadened criteria being adopted for confirming the diagnosis.
Why it matters
This meta-analysis estimated that mild cognitive impairment was common among community-dwelling Chinese populations over 55 years old, with prevalence increasing with age. It provides information about how often this condition occurs but does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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In this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials of patients with primarily noncancer illness, palliative care, compared with usual care, was statistically significantly associated with less acute health care use and modestly lower symptom burden, but there was no significant difference in quality of life.
Why it matters
In this meta-analysis of 28 trials and 13,664 patients with primarily noncancer illness, palliative care was associated with less emergency department use, less hospitalization, and modestly lower symptom burden compared with usual care. However, there was no significant difference in quality of life.
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Of 5,588 records identified, we included 123 studies involving 35,513 participants from 32 countries.
Why it matters
This meta-analysis estimated that HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder affected 42.6% of people living with HIV across the included studies. It found the prevalence was higher in groups with lower CD4 nadir, indicating a high burden of this condition in the antiretroviral therapy era.
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75/100
There is moderate-to-strong support that PA benefits cognitive functioning during early and late periods of the life span and in certain populations characterized by cognitive deficits.
Why it matters
This umbrella review, carried out in part for the 2018 US Physical Activity Guidelines advisory committee, pooled earlier systematic reviews and meta-analyses. It graded the evidence as "strong" that more physical activity is associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer's disease, and as "moderate", from randomized trials, that moderate-to-vigorous activity is linked to better scores on memory, processing-speed and executive-function tests. These are associations and short-term test results, not proof that exercise prevents dementia, and the authors note the strength of the findings varies by age and health condition.
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The overall weighted PAF for potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia was 39·5% (95% CI 37·5-41·6) in China (n=2162 participants), 41·2% (39·1-43·4) in India (n=2004), and 55·8% (54·9-56·7) in our Latin American sample (n=12 865).
Why it matters
This 2019 analysis of survey data from people aged 65 and older estimated that potentially modifiable risk factors account for 39·5% of dementia in its China sample, 41·2% in India and 55·8% in six Latin American countries, against 35% worldwide. Less childhood education, smoking, hypertension, obesity and diabetes were more common in these samples than worldwide, and the authors conclude that the potential for prevention there is large. These are calculated estimates that combine one-time surveys from 2004–2010 with risk figures from earlier meta-analyses; the study did not test whether changing any risk factor lowers dementia.
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In this study, we found that ePVS counts were not associated with cognitive dysfunction in the general population.
Why it matters
In a meta-analysis of 5 population-based studies with 3,575 people without dementia, enlarged perivascular spaces were not significantly associated with cognitive function as measured by MMSE or a general fluid cognitive ability factor. Adjustments for cardiovascular risk factors and MRI markers did not change these results.
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The SYNERGIC Trial will establish the efficacy and feasibility of a multimodal intervention to improve cognitive performance and mobility outcomes in MCI.
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We undertook subgroup analysis by setting (community versus care home) and by modality (individual versus group).
Why it matters
This Cochrane review pooled 22 studies of 1,972 people with dementia. It found that reminiscence therapy made no important difference to quality of life overall and only a very small, short-lived difference to thinking. It probably helped quality of life slightly in care homes, and one-to-one sessions were "probably associated with a slight benefit on depression scales". No harms to people with dementia were found, but carers who joined joint reminiscence groups showed a possible, uncertain rise in anxiety later on.
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75/100
Dementia prevalence rates reported for age 65+ years from a low of 6.3% in Japanese Americans, 12.9% in Caribbean Hispanic Americans, 12.2% in Guamanian Chamorro and ranged widely in African Americans from 7.2% to 20.9%.
Why it matters
This systematic review found higher dementia incidence in African American and Caribbean Hispanic populations than in several other groups, and called for more data on other populations. It describes patterns of disease and does not test any treatment, cure or prevention.
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Among patients with agitated delirium receiving mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit, the addition of dexmedetomidine to standard care compared with standard care alone (placebo) resulted in more ventilator-free hours at 7 days.
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Main results Seventeen trials with 1067 participants met the inclusion criteria.
Why it matters
Exercise programs did not clearly improve cognitive functioning, neuropsychiatric symptoms, or depression in people with dementia. There was promising but very low quality evidence that exercise may help people with dementia perform daily activities, and one trial suggested caregiver burden may be reduced when caregivers supervise exercise.
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Adherence to a Mediterranean diet may contribute to the prevention of a series of brain diseases; this may be of special value given the aging of Western societies.
Why it matters
This meta-analysis found that high adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with reduced risk for cognitive impairment, and subgroup analyses highlighted reduced risk for dementia and particularly Alzheimer's disease. It reports associations from observational studies, not a proven treatment or cure.
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75/100
This study is based on 2 cross-sectional surveys of people aged 75 years or over conducted in central Stockholm: the Kungsholmen Project (KP) (1987-1989, n = 1,700) and the Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K) (2001-2004, n = 1,575).
Why it matters
Two surveys of people aged 75 and over in central Stockholm, in 1987-1989 (1,700 people) and 2001-2004 (1,575 people), diagnosed dementia with the identical procedure, so the two periods can be compared fairly. The authors report that the changes "suggest decreasing incidence" of dementia, meaning fewer new cases. The summary stored here gives no figures and names no cause. This is one district's trend in how often dementia occurs. It does not show that anything prevents dementia.
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This study examined the association of diabetes with the onset of dementia (including Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VD) and any dementia) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by using a quantitative meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.
Why it matters
This meta-analysis of 19 longitudinal studies found that people with diabetes had higher risk of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, any dementia, and mild cognitive impairment than those without diabetes. It identifies diabetes as a risk factor, not a treatment, cure, or prevention.
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RO emphasised the engagement of nursing assistants in a hopeful, therapeutic process but became associated with a rigid, confrontational approach to people with dementia, leading to its use becoming less and less common.
Why it matters
Across 15 randomized trials, cognitive stimulation was associated with a clear, consistent benefit on cognitive function in people with dementia. This supports cognitive stimulation as a way to improve cognitive functioning, but it does not indicate a cure or prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
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Prevalence and incidence estimates associated with MCI vary greatly both between definitions and within a definition across the 42 publications.
Why it matters
This review found that published prevalence and incidence estimates for mild cognitive impairment vary greatly both between definitions and within a definition across the 42 included publications. This means the numbers used to describe how common MCI is are inconsistent, and it offers no treatment, cure or prevention.
From across this topic
10 of the 7,981 studies in this topic, picked by a fixed rule (a hash of each study's address), not by score or date; each page of this list shows a different 10. The same 10 appear here every time.
- The Mental Activity and eXercise (MAX) trial: a randomized controlled trial to enhance cognitive function in older adults
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus, brain atrophy, and cognitive decline
- Effect of raloxifene on prevention of dementia and cognitive impairment in older women: the Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation (MORE) randomized trial
- A Rapid, Mobile Neurocognitive Screening Test to Aid in Identifying Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (BrainCheck): Cohort Study
- Cohort Profile Update: The ‘Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra’ (SUN) study after 24 years of follow-up
- A neurologist's perspective on serum neurofilament light in the memory clinic: a prospective implementation study
- Demands for Development of Taurine-Containing Home Meal Replacement for Prevention of Dementia According to Age
- Different Experiences and Goals in Different Advanced Diseases: Comparing Serial Interviews With Patients With Cancer, Organ Failure, or Frailty and Their Family and Professional Carers
- Poor Sleep as a Precursor to Cognitive Decline in Down Syndrome : A Hypothesis
- Findings of a Pilot Study Investigating the Effects of Mediterranean Diet and Aerobic Exercise on Cognition in Cognitively Healthy Older People Living Independently within Aged-Care Facilities: The Lifestyle Intervention in Independent Living Aged Care (LIILAC) Study