Each study has a usefulness score out of 100 (rubric version 4.0). Tap a score to see what makes it up.
Highest usefulness score first. Studies without a score come last.
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The incidence of stroke and dementia are diverging across the world, rising for those in low- and middle-income countries and falling in those in high-income countries.
Why it matters
This 2019 paper sets out the evidence behind a World Stroke Organization proclamation "calling for the joint prevention of stroke and dementia", arguing that the two conditions "confer risks for each other" and share "largely modifiable" risk factors. It reasons that because "a stroke doubles the chance of developing dementia", "more than a third of dementias could be prevented by preventing stroke"; this is an estimate, not a measured result. The paper reports no new data, and its figure, that anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation "can reduce the risk of dementia by 48%", concerns people with that heart rhythm condition and comes from trials the summary does not name.
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Moreover, physical activity in the elderly is associated with a decreased risk of mortality, of common chronic illnesses (i.e. cardiovascular disease or osteoarthritis) and of institutionalization as well as with a delay in functional decline.
Why it matters
This paper describes the protocol for a randomized trial testing whether an individualized multicomponent exercise program (VIVIFRAIL) can reduce functional and cognitive impairment in frail elderly people with cognitive decline compared with usual care. No results are reported yet, so it is too early to know whether the exercise program is effective.
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Grey matter changes on MRI and hypometabolism on FDG-PET are seen at least 10 years before symptom onset with white matter abnormalities seen earlier, but the pattern and exact timing of changes differ between different genetic groups.
Why it matters
This 2019 update on genetic frontotemporal dementia (FTD) says grey matter changes on MRI and reduced metabolism on FDG-PET are seen at least 10 years before symptoms begin, with white matter changes earlier still, though the pattern and timing differ between genetic groups. It names three fluid markers "likely to be helpful in clinical trials" (neurofilament light chain in all groups, progranulin in GRN carriers, poly(GP) in C9orf72 carriers) and says tau PET "has yet to show promise". It also warns that presymptomatic genetic testing has grown without an accepted FTD-specific testing protocol or psychological support for people living at risk; it is not about Alzheimer's disease and reports no treatment result.
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Healthcare providers identified caregivers in most of the sample, but less than 50% assessed their well-being and needs.
Why it matters
This study reviewed medical records of 211 veterans with dementia and found that caregiver well-being and needs were assessed in only a minority of cases. It highlights gaps in caregiver assessment in clinical practice, not a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
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Understanding normal brain aging and developing methods to maintain or improve cognition in older adults are major goals of fundamental and translational neuroscience.
Why it matters
In adults aged 60 to 76, 25 minutes of noninvasive brain stimulation tuned to each person's brain rhythms improved working memory for at least 50 minutes after stimulation. This is a small physiological study of age-related cognitive decline, not a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
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56/100
MBI may be an earlier marker of neurodegenerative disease than MCI, captured at the stage of subjective cognitive decline or before, raising the possibility that MBI represents a novel target for dementia clinical trials or prevention strategies.
Why it matters
In 9,931 older adults without mild cognitive impairment or dementia, the 10% who reported mild behavioral impairment (new mood or behaviour symptoms appearing in later life) scored lower on online tests of attention and working memory and declined faster over one year. The authors suggest these behaviour changes "may be an earlier marker" of cognitive decline. However, symptoms were self-reported once, at the end of the year, follow-up was short, and the study shows an association, not that behaviour changes cause decline.
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Technology-based interventions have the potential to support informal caregivers of PWD.
Why it matters
This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that technology-based interventions had a small but significant effect on caregiver depression and burden. It supports caregivers of people with dementia but does not treat, cure or prevent the disease itself.
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There was a good agreement of the incidence or prevalence of major chronic diseases in the outpatient DA with German reference data.
Why it matters
This study evaluated the representativeness of the German Disease Analyzer database and found that the age distribution of prevalent dementia was similar to national reference data in both men and women. It describes a data source for research, not a treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Based on the systematic review, evidence suggests that treating hearing loss in persons with cognitive impairment can have benefits to communication and quality of life.
Why it matters
This systematic review found only one randomized controlled trial assessing cognitive function after hearing aid treatment, with other evidence coming from quasiexperimental studies and case reports. It shows the evidence on treating hearing loss in cognitively impaired older adults is limited and does not establish a treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Older patients on hemodialysis are at substantial risk of diagnosis with dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and carrying these diagnoses is associated with a twofold higher mortality.
Why it matters
This study estimated the risk of being diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's disease among older patients starting hemodialysis, finding higher risks with older age. It describes incidence and risk factors and does not test any treatment, cure or prevention.
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The concept of diabetic retinopathy as a microvascular disease has evolved, in that it is now considered a more complex diabetic complication in which neurodegeneration plays a significant role.
Why it matters
This review argues that retinal neurodegeneration is a critical endpoint in diabetic retinopathy and that neuroprotection itself can be considered a therapeutic target. It also suggests that assessing retinal neurodegeneration could help identify people at risk of dementia, but notes that interventional studies targeting these pathways are still needed.
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Age-related increases in dementia risk can be attributed to accumulation of multiple pathologies, each of which contributes to dementia risk.
Why it matters
In 1,362 autopsied participants from three community cohorts (mean age at death 89), four brain-pathology pathways together fully accounted for the statistical link between older age and dementia: TDP-43/hippocampal sclerosis 43%, vascular 32%, amyloid/tau 24% and neocortical Lewy body 1%. The authors conclude that rising dementia risk with age reflects several pathologies building up at once, and that "multipronged approaches may be necessary" for effective therapies. This is an observational autopsy analysis, so it shows association, not cause.
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56/100
The results show that routinely collected primary care data may be used to identify undiagnosed dementia.
Why it matters
This case-control feasibility study used routinely collected primary care data from 26,483 patients aged over 65 to train a machine learning model to identify undiagnosed dementia, achieving sensitivity and specificity values of 84.47% and 86.67%. The results show that routinely collected primary care data may be used to identify undiagnosed dementia.
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Recent evidence suggests that Web-based interventions have the potential to support caregivers by decreasing caregiver stress and burden.
Why it matters
In this qualitative study, 56 caregivers of older adults with Alzheimer disease and related dementia and multiple chronic conditions reported that a self-administered supportive Web-based resource helped them with their caregiving roles and responsibilities. This addresses caregiver support rather than treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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56/100
This analysis combining data from two health systems shows that area deprivation is an independent risk factor for cognitive dysfunction in older adults.
Why it matters
This cross-sectional study found that living in a more deprived area was associated with significantly higher risk of cognitive dysfunction in older adults. It identifies area-level deprivation as a risk factor but does not test any treatment, cure or prevention.
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Sleep disturbance is common in dementia, although it is unclear whether differences in sleep architecture precede dementia onset.
Why it matters
This study examined whether differences in sleep stages precede dementia in a community sample of older adults. It is an observational study, so it cannot show that changing sleep would prevent dementia.
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A higher proportion of patients in the immediate feedback arm showed a change in diagnosis compared to the controls (32.6 vs. 6.4%; p = 0.0001).
Why it matters
In a multicenter randomized controlled study, a higher proportion of patients who received immediate florbetapir PET amyloid feedback showed a change in diagnosis compared with controls (32.6% versus 6.4%) and a higher proportion had a change in management plan (68% versus 55.5%). The study concludes that knowledge of amyloid status affects diagnosis and alters patient management, but it reports no treatment, cure, or prevention.
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The UK Biobank cohort is a population-based cohort of 500,000 participants recruited in the United Kingdom (UK) between 2006 and 2010.
Why it matters
Compares UK Biobank's 500,000 participants with the general UK population: 5.5% of those invited took part, and participants were more likely to be older, female and from less deprived areas, and less likely to be obese, smoke or drink daily. The authors conclude the cohort is not representative and shows a "healthy volunteer" selection bias, though they argue exposure-disease findings may still be widely generalizable.
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Artificially sweetened soft drink consumption was associated with a higher risk of stroke and dementia.
Why it matters
In this cohort, higher recent and cumulative intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks was associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke, all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The study was observational, so it cannot show that these drinks cause dementia or that avoiding them prevents it.
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MCI diagnosis usually was associated with comorbid neuropathologies; less than one-quarter of MCI cases showed "pure" AD at autopsy.
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Patients presenting with pure autonomic failure are at high risk of phenoconverting to a manifest CNS synucleinopathy.
Why it matters
This prospective cohort study found that within 4 years of follow-up, 34% of patients with pure autonomic failure developed dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson disease, or multiple system atrophy. The presence of probable REM sleep behavior disorder was strongly associated with the development of a manifest central nervous system synucleinopathy.
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Cardiometabolic diseases (hypertension, coronary artery disease [CAD] and diabetes are known to associate with poorer cognitive ability but there are limited data on whether having more than one of these conditions is associated with additive effects.
Why it matters
This study examined whether having hypertension, coronary artery disease or diabetes, alone or together, is associated with poorer cognitive abilities in people without dementia. It is observational and does not test whether treating these conditions prevents dementia.
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Prevalent hemodialysis patients demonstrate significant cognitive decline, particularly within tests of executive function.
Why it matters
In 314 hemodialysis patients followed over time, executive function declined while memory slightly improved. This describes cognitive trajectories in people on hemodialysis and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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LIBRA might be a useful tool to identify individuals for primary prevention interventions of dementia in midlife, and maybe in late life, but not in the oldest-old.
Why it matters
In 9,387 dementia-free Europeans followed for an average of 7.2 years, a score built only from changeable risk factors (such as depression, diabetes, inactivity, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, high cholesterol and heart disease) was linked to higher dementia risk in people aged 55–79, but not in those aged 80–97. Because this was an observational study, it shows the score can flag who is at higher risk, not that lowering it prevents dementia. The authors suggest it "might be a useful tool" for choosing who to offer prevention in midlife, and "maybe" in late life.
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Residents' QoL was negatively associated with advanced dementia, PDU, and NPS.
Why it matters
This cross-sectional study found that quality of life in nursing home residents with young-onset dementia was negatively associated with advanced dementia, PDU, and NPS. It recommends services to manage and reduce NPS and PDU, and accounting for differences in quality of life by dementia subtype to address specific needs.
From across this topic
10 of the 7,967 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.
- Progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia due to AD in clinical settings
- Long-Term Effect of Intensive vs Standard Blood Pressure Control on Mild Cognitive Impairment and Probable Dementia in SPRINT
- 84 Effect of the 2020 CMS telehealth expansion on diagnostic prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
- Caregiver burden among dementia patient caregivers: a review of the literature
- Trends in Incidence and Prevalence of Dementia Among United States Medicare Beneficiaries, 2014‐2021, by Race, Sex, and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status
- Broadband Availability and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Prevalence in Central Appalachia
- Bilingualism delays age at onset of dementia, independent of education and immigration status
- Accelerated bio-cognitive aging in Down syndrome: State of the art and possible deceleration strategies
- Stage of Disease Among Hospitalized Persons Living With Dementia: A Multisite Study
- Childhood Adversity and Neural Development: A Systematic Review