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 study aims to assess the efficacy of the Big Brain Academy (BBA), a computerized cognitive training program (CT) based on video games, compared to the Integrated Psychostimulation Program (IPP), a classical CT tool for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
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The most severe HAND diagnosis (HAD) was rare, but milder forms of impairment remained common, even among those receiving CART who had minimal comorbidities.
Why it matters
This cross-sectional study found that HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders remain common in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy, with 52% of the sample showing neuropsychological impairment and only 2% having HIV-associated dementia. It concerns cognitive impairment in HIV-infected adults, not the treatment, cure, or prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
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The MoCA is more sensitive than the MMSE in screening for cognitive impairment after acute stroke.
Why it matters
In 100 people tested within two weeks of a stroke, 18 of the 57 who passed the MMSE (32%) were flagged as impaired by the MoCA, while only 2 of the 41 who passed the MoCA (4.9%) were flagged by the MMSE. The MoCA's visuospatial/executive, attention and recall sections separated these groups and the MMSE's sections did not. The study did not check either test against a full neuropsychological assessment or follow patients over time, so it shows the MoCA flags more people, not that its extra flags are all correct. It is about screening after stroke, not about Alzheimer's treatment or prevention.
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The demographic and health transitions will lead to large and rapid increases in the numbers of dependent older people particularly in middle income countries (MIC).
Why it matters
In a survey of 15,022 people aged 65 and over at 11 sites in seven middle-income countries, dementia was the largest single contributor to older people needing care at every site except rural China, with a median population share of 34% (range 23%-59%). Limb impairment, stroke and depression each contributed about 8-9% (medians). This is a one-time survey that shows associations: it does not test a treatment or prove that preventing dementia would reduce dependence. The authors say long-term care planning should be an urgent priority.
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The Rotterdam Study previously found that higher dietary intakes of vitamins E and C related to lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD) over 6 years of follow-up.
Why it matters
This study examined whether dietary intake of major antioxidants relates to long-term risk of dementia in a population cohort. It is observational, so it cannot show that eating more antioxidants prevents dementia.
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Caring for people with dementia in primary care demands the same systematic approach as the management of other long-term conditions.
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The BFC80+ was designed to acquire a better understanding of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of chronic diseases in the very elderly and to study the dynamic interaction between health, frailty and disability in a multi-system approach.
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All six short-form ZBI have very good validity, internal consistency, and discriminative ability.
Why it matters
This study tested six short versions of a questionnaire that measures the burden felt by people caring for someone with dementia, and found most were valid and reliable. It is a tool for measuring caregiver burden, not a treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Questionably beneficial medications are common in advanced dementia, even as death approaches.
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Systematic review of the literature using the American Academy of Neurology's evidence-based methods.
Why it matters
This review identifies characteristics such as the Clinical Dementia Rating scale and caregiver ratings that may help predict unsafe driving in patients with dementia. It found insufficient evidence to support or refute the benefit of neuropsychological testing or interventional strategies for drivers with dementia.
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Forty-two case-control, cohort, and randomized trials were identified and included in the review.
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The effect of stroke on dementia incidence in the population is not explained by common risk factors.
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These findings add to the growing literature to suggest that the degree of functional impairment at baseline is an important predictor of conversion to dementia and may help explain differences in findings between epidemiological and clinic-based studies.
Why it matters
In 111 people with mild cognitive impairment followed for about 2.4 years at one centre, those recruited from a clinic progressed to dementia at 13% a year, versus 3% for those recruited through community outreach. The gap was explained not by test scores, brain imaging or MCI subtype but by how much everyday functional impairment people already had at the start, measured on the Clinical Dementia Rating scale. The authors conclude this may help explain why clinic-based studies report higher conversion rates than population studies; it is an association from a small sample, not a measure of any individual's risk.
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Chronic low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations are common in adults and are associated with numerous non-skeletal diseases.
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Despite much data, we lack a unifying guideline for dementia prognostication.
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There is lack of sound studies examining fall risk factors in cognitively impaired elders.
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Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia affect nearly all people with dementia.
Why it matters
In a population study of 587 people with dementia and 2,050 without in England and Wales, every one of 12 behavioural and psychological symptoms except sleeping problems was more common with dementia, and the symptoms fell into four groups: psychosis/apathy, depression/anxiety, irritability/persecution, and wandering/sleep problems. Psychosis was more common as thinking declined, anxiety and depression were more common in younger people and in those reporting poor health, and how long symptoms lasted varied. The study describes who has which symptoms; it does not test any treatment or show cause.
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In persons with multimorbidity, there exists co-occurrence of diseases beyond chance, which clinicians need to take into account in their daily practice.
Why it matters
This community-based survey of people aged 77 and older found that dementia had the lowest number of co-occurring conditions (a mean of 1.4 comorbidities). It reports patterns of comorbidity and multimorbidity and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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64/100
Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is a major cause of stroke and dementia.
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64/100
We found no benefit to low-flow CSF shunting in subjects with mild to severe Alzheimer disease.
Why it matters
In 215 people with probable Alzheimer's disease, a low-flow ventriculoperitoneal shunt showed no benefit, the study was halted for futility, and there were 12 CNS infections. This clearly found no benefit for this surgical approach.
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The comparative analysis provided a systematic review of cancer caregiving in the context of three other types of caregiving.
Why it matters
This comparative analysis found that cancer and dementia caregivers reported greater physical burden and psychological distress than diabetes or frail elderly caregivers. It calls for more emphasis on developing social service policy and practice for cancer caregivers.
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While dementia affects 6-10% of persons 65 years or older, industrialized countries have witnessed an alarming rise in obesity.
Why it matters
This review found a U-shaped association between body mass index and dementia, with increased risk for both obesity and underweight, and a moderate association between obesity and risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. It identifies weight as a possible risk factor but does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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This study is the first to show that, 10 years before the clinical diagnosis of dementia, subjects who later developed dementia performed worse in complex activities of daily living, which may constitute an early marker of the disease.
Why it matters
In a French community cohort, people who later developed dementia had more restrictions in complex daily activities such as finances and medication use up to 10 years before diagnosis. This identifies an early marker of disease and does not test any treatment, cure or prevention.
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Recent randomized control trials and meta-analyses of experimental studies indicate positive effects of non-pharmacological cognitive training on the cognitive function of healthy older adults.
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Counseling and support preserved SRH in vulnerable caregivers.
Why it matters
In this randomized trial of 406 spouse caregivers, those who received enhanced counseling and support had significantly better self-rated health than those receiving usual care, and the difference was maintained for two years. This intervention supports the health of people caring for someone with Alzheimer disease; it does not treat, cure, or prevent the disease itself.
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.
- Early inflammation and dementia: a 25-year follow-up of the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study
- Advance care planning in motor neuron disease: A qualitative study of caregiver perspectives
- Building research in diet and cognition: The BRIDGE randomized controlled trial
- Helping caregivers of persons with dementia: which interventions work and how large are their effects?
- "Delirium Day": a nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool
- Incident Hearing Loss and Comorbidity
- Voluntary assisted dying views and experiences of Australians living with dementia: a qualitative study
- Comprehensive Anatomical Staging Predicts Clinical Progression in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Data-Driven Approach
- Pneumonia: the demented patient's best friend? Discomfort after starting or withholding antibiotic treatment
- Efficacy of a Web App for Cognitive Training (MeMo) Regarding Cognitive and Behavioral Performance in People With Neurocognitive Disorders: Randomized Controlled Trial