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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An integrated 6-mo prognostic tool was developed and validated for the HD population.
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Elderly people taking anticholinergic drugs were at increased risk for cognitive decline and dementia.
Why it matters
This population-based study found that women reporting use of anticholinergic drugs at baseline showed greater decline over 4 years in verbal fluency and global cognitive functioning, and men showed decline in visual memory. A 1.4- to 2-fold higher risk of cognitive decline was observed for those who continuously used anticholinergic drugs but not for those who had discontinued use.
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The finding of similar prevalence estimates for depression in men and women was not consistent with prior research that has shown a female predominance.
Why it matters
This population study estimated an overall depression prevalence of about 11% in older Americans and found that dementia diagnosis and pain severity were associated with increased depression prevalence. This is about how common depression is and what it is linked to, not about treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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No associations between n-3 PUFAs and dementia or AD were found.
Why it matters
In 663 non-demented people from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, there were no associations between total omega-3 fatty acids, DHA or EPA and dementia or Alzheimer's disease. A higher mercury concentration was linked to a reduced risk of dementia, but this finding was limited to certain subgroups and does not support omega-3 supplements as protective.
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Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria.
Why it matters
This systematic review found only some evidence that older adults with cognitive impairment who receive intensive inpatient rehabilitation after hip fracture surgery may benefit. The included studies were of fair to poor quality, so the findings are limited and cannot be considered definitive.
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During the study period, 144 patients were enrolled before major abdominal (40%), thoracic (53%), or vascular (7%) operations.
Why it matters
This study found that delirium occurred in 44% of elderly patients after major operations, with pre-existing cognitive dysfunction the strongest predictor, and worse outcomes including higher 6-month mortality in those who developed it. It is about postoperative delirium and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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In analyses of data from cross-sectional studies, the Cox and Poisson models with robust variance are better alternatives than logistic regression is.
Why it matters
This methods study compared statistical approaches for estimating prevalence ratios in cross-sectional studies, using dementia as one outcome. It found that Cox and Poisson regressions produced estimates very similar to Mantel-Haenszel stratification, while logistic regression produced different estimates.
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High-dimensional pattern classification was applied to baseline and multiple follow-up MRI scans of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), in order to investigate the potential of predicting short-term conversion to Alzheimer's Disease (AD) on an individual basis.
Why it matters
Using MRI pattern classification, this study found that MCI participants who converted to Alzheimer's had significantly lower grey and white matter volumes and that a classifier could distinguish converters from non-converters with good accuracy. This supports imaging for predicting short-term conversion, but it is a diagnostic prediction tool, not a therapy.
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Individuals with amnestic pre-MCI showed significantly greater correlations between cerebral hypometabolism and subsequent long-term memory decline than nondecliners in Alzheimer disease-affected brain regions.
Why it matters
In a small group of healthy APOE ε4 carriers with subtle memory decline, lower brain metabolism in certain regions at baseline correlated with faster later memory decline. This supports the idea of a pre-mild cognitive impairment stage, but the sample is very small and it does not show that any treatment alters this decline.
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53/100
The finding of higher mortality and worse mobility for nonwhite patients with hip fractures highlights the need for more research on race/ethnicity disparities in hip fracture care.
Why it matters
This study examined outcomes after hip fracture and found that dementia had a negative impact on survival, mobility, and activities of daily living at 6 months. It also found that the odds of survival were significantly lower for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and/or cancer.
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53/100
Baseline brain volume was lowest in AD but did not differ significantly between MCI, subjective complaints, and control groups (P > .38).
Why it matters
Whole-brain atrophy rate was strongly associated with cognitive decline, and in nondemented participants a high atrophy rate was associated with increased risk of progression to dementia. This is an observational imaging study and does not show that any treatment, cure, or prevention works.
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There is a strong association between late-life depression, cognitive impairment, cerebrovascular disease, and poor cognitive outcomes, including progressive dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease.
Why it matters
This paper presents a framework suggesting that late-life depression may be linked to cognitive impairment and a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease through multiple possible pathways, including cerebrovascular disease. It is a proposed model for research, not a tested treatment or prevention.
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Medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) on postmortem MRI is sensitive to primary degenerative hippocampal pathology in the very old, but not specific for Alzheimer-type pathology.
Why it matters
In 132 brains from people over 85 (Vantaa 85+ study), scanned by MRI after death, shrinkage of the brain's memory region (medial temporal lobe atrophy) tracked Alzheimer pathology. It also appeared with hippocampal sclerosis, Lewy-related pathology and argyrophilic grain disease, so in the very old it signals hippocampal damage, not Alzheimer's specifically. Low atrophy scores (2 or less) were "not frequently associated with dementia". The study tested no treatment.
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Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use may help to prevent cognitive decline in older adults if started in midlife rather than late life.
Why it matters
In this cohort, the link between NSAID use and cognitive scores depended on when NSAIDs were started and on APOE genotype. Among those who started NSAIDs at or after age 65 with an ε4 allele, there was no subsequent difference in cognitive change over time.
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Directives to forgo hospitalization for U.S. NH residents with advanced dementia are uncommon and are associated with the organizational features of the facilities caring for them and the intensity of end-of-life care practiced in the region, as well as individual resident characteristics.
Why it matters
This cross-sectional study found that only 7.1% of U.S. nursing home residents with advanced dementia had do-not-hospitalize orders, with wide variation between states. It describes care planning decisions and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for dementia.
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Vascular factors and stroke are associated with cognitive function and dementia.
Why it matters
This study examined whether arterial stiffness is associated with cognitive function and dementia in a prospective population-based cohort. It is an observational study of a possible risk factor and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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We studied 40,492 hypertensive patients taking at least one antihypertensive drug class.
Why it matters
This study examined adherence to antihypertensive medications among veterans and included dementia as one co-diagnosis among several factors. It concerns blood pressure medication adherence, not the treatment, cure or prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
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The aim of this study was to establish the rate of progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).
Why it matters
In this study of 72 non-demented Parkinson's disease patients, those with mild cognitive impairment had a higher risk of developing dementia than cognitively intact patients, with single nonmemory domain and multiple domain MCI associated with later dementia but amnestic MCI not. The authors caution these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the relatively small number of subjects.
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Limited literacy is independently associated with a nearly 2-fold increase in mortality in the elderly.
Why it matters
This study found that older adults with limited literacy had a higher risk of death over five years, even after adjusting for many other factors. It concerns literacy and mortality generally and does not address treating, curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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By contrast, participants in the highest handgrip strength quartile maintained a higher level of cognitive function.
Why it matters
In this 7-year cohort of 2160 older Mexican Americans, those in the lowest quartile of handgrip strength at baseline showed greater decline in cognitive function over time. This shows an association between weak grip and cognitive decline, not that strength training prevents Alzheimer's disease.
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Black race was associated with greater dementia risk even after adjustment for education and other potential confounders.
Why it matters
In this longitudinal study, black race was associated with greater dementia risk even after adjusting for education and other factors, and there was no significant black-white difference after adjusting for all confounders and baseline cognitive test scores. It examines risk differences and does not test a treatment, cure or prevention.
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Moderate intake of unsaturated fats at midlife is protective, whereas a moderate intake of saturated fats may increase the risk of dementia and AD, especially among ApoE epsilon4 carriers.
Why it matters
This population-based study found that moderate intake of polyunsaturated fats at midlife was linked to lower dementia risk, while saturated fat intake was linked to higher risk, with associations seen only among ApoE epsilon4 carriers. It suggests dietary interventions may potentially modify dementia risk, particularly in genetically susceptible people, but does not prove cause and effect.
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53/100
The neuropathologic outcome of amnestic MCI following progression to dementia is heterogeneous, and it includes AD at a high frequency.
Why it matters
Among 34 people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment who progressed to dementia and later had brain autopsy, most had Alzheimer's disease pathology, but 10 (29%) had a non-Alzheimer's primary pathology. No differences were found between those with and without Alzheimer's pathology in demographic variables, apolipoprotein E genotype, or cognitive test measures, so this describes what underlies decline rather than how to treat or prevent it.
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Cross-sectional study, Health, Aging and Body Composition data (1999/2000).
Why it matters
This cross-sectional study found that limited health literacy was common among older people and was linked to low socioeconomic status, other health conditions, and poor access to health care. It did not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Excessive daytime sleepiness may be associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson disease.
Why it matters
In 3,078 older men, excessive daytime sleepiness was linked to about a threefold higher risk of later developing Parkinson disease. This concerns Parkinson disease risk and does not address treating, curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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.
- Physical activity, APOE genotype, and dementia risk: findings from the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study
- Out of Pocket Costs for People with Dementia: A Comparison Across Insurance Types
- “Who are you calling rural?”: An Analysis of Classification Codes Evaluating Disadvantage in Rural Regions and their Correlation in an Appalachian Kentucky Cohort
- Sex Differences in the Associations between Education, Neuropathology, and Cognition
- Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Dementia Incidence in Northern Sweden: A Longitudinal Study
- Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Other Lifestyle Factors in the Prevention of Cognitive Decline and Dementia
- Performance of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) as a screening test for dementia
- Machine Learning for Predicting Postoperative Functional Disability and Mortality Among Older Patients With Cancer: Retrospective Cohort Study
- Two-year progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia: to what extent do different definitions agree?
- Non-pharmacological interventions for adults with mild cognitive impairment and early stage dementia: An updated scoping review