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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Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by chorea, behavioral manifestations, and dementia.
Why it matters
This review estimated the incidence and prevalence of Huntington's disease, a rare neurodegenerative disorder that includes dementia, and found lower rates in Asia than in Europe, North America, and Australia. It describes how common the disease is but does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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62/100
Considering the high risk for individuals with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (A-MCI) to progress towards Alzheimer's disease (AD), we investigated the efficacy of a non-pharmacological intervention, that is, cognitive training that could reduce cognitive difficulties and delay the cognitive decline.
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From 1996 through 2008, 5.55% of hospitalized patients resided in a nursing home 6 months later compared with 0.54% of nonhospitalized control patients.
Why it matters
Hospitalized older adults were much more likely to be in a nursing home six months later than nonhospitalized controls, and three quarters of new nursing home placements followed a hospitalization. Dementia, older age, female sex, and discharge to a skilled nursing facility were risk factors for long-term care placement.
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The prevalence of geriatric ACHD is substantial, although severe lesions remain uncommon.
Why it matters
This cohort study of 3,239 geriatric adults with congenital heart disease found that mortality was predominantly driven by acquired comorbid conditions rather than the type of congenital heart disease. It does not address Alzheimer's disease treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Complaints of poor memory by older people, particularly when new, may be a realistic subjective appraisal of recent brain changes independent of observed cognitive decline.
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Compared with nonprofit hospice agencies, for-profit hospice agencies had a higher percentage of patients with diagnoses associated with lower-skilled needs and longer lengths of stay.
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Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a syndrome thought to be a prodrome of dementia for some patients.
Why it matters
This study examined the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in mild cognitive impairment and its subtypes. It describes symptoms and does not report any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Psychotic symptoms affect most patients with PD, with increased risk in those with higher age at onset, need for high doses of dopaminergic drugs, and probable REM sleep behavior disorder.
Why it matters
In this 12-year study of 230 people with Parkinson disease, 60% developed hallucinations or delusions, and psychosis was associated with dementia and other features. This describes how common psychosis is in Parkinson disease and what accompanies it, but does not test any treatment to prevent or cure dementia.
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Cognitive complaints are common in the elderly, and nearly one in three meet criteria for MCI.
Why it matters
Among 1037 Sydney residents aged 70-90 without dementia, 95.5% (or someone who knew them) reported a memory or thinking difficulty, but 43.5% showed impairment on a test, and 34.8% met criteria for mild cognitive impairment, 30.9% at ages 70-75 versus 39.1% at 85-90. This is the study's starting snapshot: it describes how the cohort was recruited and assessed, reports no follow-up results yet, and tests no treatment or prevention.
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During the 17-year follow-up period, 164 participants developed dementia; 136 of these cases were AD.
Why it matters
In this long-term cohort, people with depressive symptoms at baseline had more than a 50% increased risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease over 17 years. This suggests depression may be a risk factor, though the study does not show that treating depression prevents dementia.
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62/100
These findings suggest a potential vasculoprotective role of vitamin D.
Why it matters
In this cross-sectional study of 318 home-care elders, vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were associated with all-cause dementia, Alzheimer disease, stroke, and MRI signs of cerebrovascular disease. Because the design is cross-sectional, it cannot show that vitamin D causes or prevents dementia, and the authors only suggest a possible vasculoprotective role.
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Our results provide further indirect support for the presumed link between superficial siderosis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA).
Why it matters
Until this study, superficial siderosis, a thin layer of iron deposits on the brain's surface, had only been reported in people whose symptoms led to a scan. MRI of 1,062 older adults without dementia in the Rotterdam Scan Study found it in 7 people (0.7%), and every one also had lobar microbleeds nearby, which the authors call "indirect support" for a link with cerebral amyloid angiopathy. The study did not follow people over time, so whether siderosis signals more severe disease or a worse outlook is still untested, and it says nothing about treating or preventing Alzheimer's.
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These findings on participants who are at high risk of dropout may be useful in the planning phase of future prospective studies.
Why it matters
This study examined which participants dropped out of a population-based elderly cohort, finding that dementia predicted dropout due to death. It is about study attrition and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are increasingly recognised neuroimaging findings in individuals with cerebrovascular disease and dementia, and in normal ageing.
Why it matters
This review discusses how cerebral microbleeds are detected on MRI and how they should be interpreted, noting that detection depends on the MRI technique used. It is about imaging findings and does not test any treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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62/100
Current evidence supports that DM is associated with increased risk for selected geriatric conditions.
Why it matters
This review of population studies found that people with diabetes had a higher risk of all dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia, and showed faster decline in cognitive function. This means diabetes may be a risk factor for dementia, but the review does not show that treating diabetes prevents or cures Alzheimer's disease.
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Although we have found a slightly lower risk than other reports, the risk of developing neurodegenerative disease in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder is substantial, with the majority of patients developing Parkinson disease and Lewy body dementia.
Why it matters
This follow-up study estimated that patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder have a substantial risk of developing neurodegenerative disease, mostly Parkinson disease and Lewy body dementia. It is about estimating risk and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Experimental studies on cognitive training have suggested that the effects of experience are narrow in augmenting or maintaining cognitive abilities, while correlational studies report a wide range of benefits of an engaged lifestyle, including increased longevity, resistance to dementia, and enhanced cognitive flexibility.
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Effective counseling and support interventions can reduce symptoms of depression in caregivers when patients are taking donepezil.
Why it matters
In a randomized trial of 158 spouse caregivers in New York, Manchester and Sydney, caregivers offered five individual and family counseling sessions in the first 3 months, plus ad hoc telephone counseling, saw their depression scores fall over 24 months, while scores rose for caregivers who did not get counseling. The study reports that the benefit grew over the 2 years and was not explained by antidepressant use. All the patients were taking donepezil, and the trial measured caregiver depression only, not the course of the patient's Alzheimer's disease.
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Current classifications of MCI have variable outcomes in population-based samples.
Why it matters
In this population-based study, the most common outcome across 16 definitions of mild cognitive impairment was an impairment that was not classifiable or a return to normal, and progression to dementia was relatively rare and depended on the definition used. This is about how mild cognitive impairment is classified and its outcomes, not about treating or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Impaired memory and language were useful predictors of transition to AD.
Why it matters
In this multiethnic community cohort, 21% of normal elderly subjects progressed to mild cognitive impairment, and those with MCI were 2.8 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than normal elderly subjects. MCI with impairment in memory and at least one other cognitive domain carried the greatest risk for progression to Alzheimer's disease and was least likely to revert to normal.
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Hospice enrollment results in lower combined Medicare/Medicaid expenditures in the last month of life, particularly among short-stay NH residents.
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A history of hypertension is related to a higher risk of MCI.
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62/100
No significant differences emerged in the probability of conversion from MCI to AD or dementia between the treated groups and the placebo groups.
Why it matters
This review found that cholinesterase inhibitors did not delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease or dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment. It also reported that the risks associated with these drugs are not negligible.
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Low vitamin B-12 status was associated with more rapid cognitive decline.
Why it matters
In this longitudinal cohort, markers of reduced vitamin B-12 status (holoTC, tHcy, and MMA) predicted cognitive decline, while folate did not. The study reports associations between these blood markers and cognitive decline and does not show that vitamin B-12 supplementation prevents or treats Alzheimer's disease.
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Dementia prevalence estimates from this first nationally representative population-based study of dementia in the USA to include subjects from all regions of the country can provide essential information for effective planning for the impending healthcare needs of the large and increasing number of individuals at risk for dementia as our population ages.
Why it matters
Based on in-home assessments of 856 people aged 71 and older drawn from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study, this study estimated that 13.9% of that age group in the USA (about 3.4 million people) had dementia in 2002, and 9.7% (about 2.4 million) had Alzheimer's disease. Dementia was far more common with age: 5.0% at ages 71–79 against 37.4% at 90 and older. These are weighted national estimates from a single snapshot, intended for planning care needs; the study did not test any cause or treatment.
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.
- A 1-year randomized controlled trial comparing mind body exercise (Tai Chi) with stretching and toning exercise on cognitive function in older Chinese adults at risk of cognitive decline
- Association Between Persistent Pain and Memory Decline and Dementia in a Longitudinal Cohort of Elders
- Dementia diagnosis patterns in a racially diverse population within an integrated health delivery system
- A population-based study of head injury, cognitive function and pathological markers
- Association Between ICD ‐Coded Delirium and Health Determinants in The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
- Deprescribing for People with Dementia: A Roadmap
- Visual dysfunction in Parkinson's disease
- Clinical, neuroimaging, and pathologic features of progressive nonfluent aphasia
- Hippocampal harms, protection and recovery following regular cannabis use
- Contributions of the Framingham Heart Study to stroke and dementia epidemiologic research at 60 years