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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These results suggest that regular exercise is associated with a delay in onset of dementia and Alzheimer disease, further supporting its value for elderly persons.
Why it matters
Among 1,740 Seattle adults over 65 without cognitive impairment, followed for an average of 6.2 years, those who reported exercising 3 or more times a week developed dementia at 13.0 per 1,000 person-years, compared with 19.7 for those who exercised less (age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio 0.62). The link was stronger in people with lower physical function. This is an observational study and exercise was self-reported, so it shows an association, not that exercise prevents dementia.
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Median follow-up increased from 2.0 years in the double-blind trial to 3.9 years overall.
Why it matters
In the extended follow-up of the Syst-Eur study, long-term antihypertensive therapy reduced the risk of dementia by 55% compared with controls. This reinforces evidence that blood pressure-lowering therapy started with a long-acting dihydropyridine may reduce dementia risk in older patients with systolic hypertension.
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Among Medicare beneficiaries with dementia who visited an ED, there was no evidence that hospital admission was associated with mortality rates.
Why it matters
In this analysis of Medicare beneficiaries with dementia who visited an emergency department, hospital admission was not linked to 30-day mortality or more inpatient days. Admission was linked to higher 30-day health care spending, so the findings concern costs and outcomes of hospital care rather than preventing or treating dementia.
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Independent of t-tau and TCBV, epigenetic age measures were associated with time to MCI, AD, and all-cause dementia and baseline cognition, but not with cognitive trajectories.
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74/100
Twenty-six randomized clinical trials were eligible for inclusion (N = 164 531 participants), of which 23 trials (n = 160 191 participants) reported the incidence of dementia or cognitive impairment, including 12 trials evaluating SGLT2is, 10 trials evaluating GLP-1RAs, and 1 trial evaluating pioglitazone (no trials of metformin were identified).
Why it matters
This meta-analysis of 26 randomized clinical trials found that cardioprotective glucose-lowering therapies overall were not significantly associated with reduced risk of dementia or cognitive impairment. However, GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with a statistically significant reduction in dementia, while SGLT2 inhibitors were not, suggesting a possible drug-class difference that requires further study.
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Neurotropic herpesviruses may be implicated in the development of dementia 1-5 .
Why it matters
In this Welsh natural experiment, receiving the herpes zoster vaccine reduced the probability of a new dementia diagnosis over 7 years by 3.5 percentage points. The findings were confirmed in a different population using death certificates, but this is observational evidence and not a randomized trial.
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74/100
This meta-analysis pooled data from 24 observational studies covering over half a million older adults to ask whether cataract surgery is associated with lower long-term cognitive decline compared with leaving cataracts untreated.
Why it matters
Across 24 observational studies, cataract surgery was linked to a 25% lower risk of long-term cognitive decline compared with untreated cataracts. Because these were observational studies, this shows an association and does not prove that surgery itself protects cognition.
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Fifty-one AD patients enrolled, mean age 73.5.
Why it matters
In this randomized controlled trial of 51 people with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's dementia, an intensive multidomain lifestyle intervention was compared with usual care over 20 weeks. The summary states that comprehensive lifestyle changes may significantly improve cognition and function, but this is a single small trial and does not establish a cure or prevention.
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Previous data have linked omega-3 fatty acids with risk of dementia.
Why it matters
This analysis of cohort studies found that higher omega-3 intake and higher blood markers were linked to lower risk of dementia and cognitive decline. It is observational, so it cannot prove that omega-3 supplements or fish oil prevent Alzheimer's disease.
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Where appropriate, we undertook subgroup analysis by modality (individual versus group), number of sessions and frequency, setting (community versus care home), type of control condition and dementia severity.
Why it matters
Cognitive stimulation showed moderate-quality evidence for a small benefit in cognition and slight improvements in quality of life, communication, and social interaction in people with dementia. This is a non-drug intervention that may help with symptoms but does not cure or prevent Alzheimer's disease.
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Since our cognitive training showed beneficial effects, it could be a promising method to prevent POCD.
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The heterogeneous and multi-factorial nature of dementia requires the consideration of all health aspects when predicting the risk of its development and planning strategies for its prevention.
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The results of the present systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that the prevalence of OD is high in different populations and its trend has been increasing in recent years.
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Dementia is a significant public health challenge and may have greater incidence among older adults from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups.
Why it matters
This large study found significant differences in dementia incidence by race and ethnicity among older adults receiving care at VHA medical centers. It describes who is diagnosed more often but does not test any treatment or prevention approach.
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This large meta-analysis pooled dozens of studies to estimate how many people under age 65 are living with dementia worldwide.
Why it matters
Roughly 3.9 million people worldwide under age 65 are living with young-onset dementia, about double earlier estimates, with rates climbing steeply from the early 30s to the early 60s. This highlights a group of patients often missed or misdiagnosed because dementia is usually thought of as a disease of old age.
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We collected a total of 29 prospective studies for the systematic literature review and meta-analysis.
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Age and frailty are independently associated with adverse outcomes in COVID-19.
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74/100
This systematic review highlighted the lack of consensus regarding referral criteria for palliative care in patients with dementia and the need to identify timely triggers to standardize referral.
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A lower proportion of patients with cancer had palliative care initiated in the home (16 088 [14.5%]) compared with patients with chronic organ failure (6904 [32.8%]; absolute difference, -18.3%) or dementia (3922 [27.9%]; absolute difference, -13.4%).
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After multivariable adjustment, patients showed an odds ratio (OR) 1·61 (95% CI 0·80-3·25) for scale 4 versus scale 3 and 4·60 (1·85-11·48) for scale 5-6 versus scale 3 for diffusion impairment; OR 0·88 (0·66-1·17) for scale 4 versus scale 3 and OR 1·77 (1·05-2·97) for scale 5-6 versus scale 3 for anxiety or depression, and OR 0·74 (0·58-0·96) for scale 4 versus scale 3 and 2·69 (1·46-4·96) for scale 5-6 versus scale 3 for fatigue or muscle weakness.
Why it matters
This study followed patients discharged after COVID-19 and found some had ongoing problems with lung diffusion, anxiety or depression, fatigue, and kidney function. It does not address Alzheimer's disease treatment, cure or prevention.
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Hippocampal volume is a marker of brain health and is reduced with aging and neurological disease.
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Supported by very low-to-moderate certainty of evidence, physical activity/exercise has a positive effect on several cognitive and noncognitive outcomes in people with MCI and dementia, but RCTs, with low risk of bias/confounding, are still needed to confirm these relationships.
Why it matters
This umbrella review of 27 systematic reviews found that some physical activity interventions improved cognitive outcomes in people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia, with low certainty of evidence for some results. It does not show that exercise cures or prevents Alzheimer's disease.
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Outcomes from this trial support the conduct of a larger and longer trial with this participant group.
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In this pilot study, RFM and the multi-domain approach CPR were feasible and had preliminary beneficial effects in older adults with MCI in primary care setting in Hong Kong.
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These findings highlight the potential benefits of palliative care in some non-cancer illnesses.