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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Worldwide costs of dementia are enormous and still inequitably distributed.
Why it matters
This update of Alzheimer's Disease International's 2010 figures estimated that dementia cost the world US $818 billion in 2015, an increase of 35% since 2010, with "86% of the costs" falling in high-income countries. Unpaid (informal) care and social care made up most of the cost, while "the costs in the medical sector are much lower"; the authors attribute the rise to more people living with dementia and higher costs per person, and projected that US $1 trillion "will be crossed by 2018". It is a modelled cost estimate with no uncertainty range given here, and it does not test any treatment or prevention.
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Finding positive gains reduces depressive symptoms and burden and promotespsychological well-being primarily through enhancing self-efficacy in controlling upsetting thoughts.
Why it matters
This trial tested a benefit-finding intervention for family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease, not a treatment for the disease itself. It found improvements in caregiver depression and burden, which does not show an effect on treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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61/100
Additionally, the performance of each scale to predict dementia pathology both individually and in combination was evaluated using a support vector classifier, which was compared with expert scan assessment to estimate clinical value.
Why it matters
This study evaluated MRI visual rating scales for diagnosing dementia in 184 cases confirmed by post-mortem. It found that combining scales predicted dementia pathology better than any single scale and was comparable to molecular biomarkers, but it is about diagnosis, not treating or curing Alzheimer's disease.
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Twelve studies were identified.
Why it matters
This review of 12 studies found that computer-based cognitive interventions had moderate effects on cognition and anxiety and small effects on depression in people with dementia, but no significant effect on activities of daily living. It is about managing symptoms, not curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Intentional weight loss through diet was associated with cognitive improvement in patients with MCI.
Why it matters
In this trial of obese older adults with mild cognitive impairment, most cognitive tests improved in both the weight-loss counselling group and the usual-care group, with no difference between them. Greater decreases in BMI were associated with improvements in memory, fluency, executive function and global cognition, but the study was not designed to show that weight loss prevents dementia.
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Cognitive assessments after stroke are typically short form tests developed for dementia that generates pass/fail classifications (e.g. the MoCA).
Why it matters
This cross-sectional study compared the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the Oxford Cognitive Screen in 200 stroke patients within 3 weeks of stroke. It is about cognitive screening after stroke and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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At cohort entry, the mean age was 54.8 years (SD 13.3), 56.5% were men, and 72.8% were black.
Why it matters
This study found that frailty was independently associated with lower cognitive function at cohort entry in adults undergoing hemodialysis. It suggests that frailty may be a marker for poor cognitive function in this population.
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Factors of caregiver burden in regard to people with dementia living in the community were clarified in this review study.
Why it matters
This review found that behavioral and psychological symptoms in the person with dementia were the main factor linked to caregiver burden. It addresses caregiver support needs, not the treatment, cure or prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
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Hearing loss is associated with poor cognitive performance and incident dementia and may contribute to cognitive decline.
Why it matters
In this large UK Biobank sample, people who used hearing aids had better cognitive test scores, even after accounting for social isolation and depression. However, the study was observational, so it cannot prove that hearing aids prevent or slow Alzheimer's disease.
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Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia include agitation, depression, apathy, repetitive questioning, psychosis, aggression, sleep problems, wandering, and a variety of inappropriate behaviors.
Why it matters
This review recommends non-drug approaches as first-line treatment for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, with family caregiver interventions having the strongest evidence, while antipsychotics have the strongest drug evidence but a concerning risk-to-benefit ratio. It addresses symptom management, not curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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61/100
Although APOE ε4 carriers are at high risk for cognitive decline, our findings suggest possible intervention targets, including the enhancement of cognitive reserve and improvement of other psychosocial and health factors, to promote cognitive resilience among black and white APOE ε4 carriers.
Why it matters
Among APOE ε4 carriers, higher literacy and higher educational level predicted cognitive resilience in both black and white older adults. These findings suggest possible intervention targets such as enhancing cognitive activity, but they do not show that any intervention prevents or treats Alzheimer's disease.
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Cognitive impairment is one of the earliest, most common, and most disabling non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD).
Why it matters
This cohort study worked out how to convert scores between the MMSE, Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Dementia Rating Scale-2 in Parkinson's disease. It is about comparing cognitive screening scores over time, not about treating, curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Guidelines recommend screening stroke-survivors for cognitive impairments.
Why it matters
Guidelines recommend screening stroke survivors for cognitive problems, and this review gathered published studies on how accurately short cognitive screening tests pick up dementia or multidomain cognitive impairment after a stroke, compared against a full reference-standard diagnosis. It searched multiple databases up to January 2014, with independent researchers screening the studies. It applies to people who have had a stroke, and it is about detecting impairment, not about treating or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction, REM sleep behavior disorder, color discrimination ability, and gait dysfunction strongly predict development of dementia in Parkinson disease.
Why it matters
In 80 people with Parkinson disease who were dementia-free at baseline, 34% developed dementia over about 4.4 years, and cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction, REM sleep behavior disorder, color discrimination problems and gait dysfunction predicted it. This identifies markers of risk and does not test any treatment.
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Delirium is a profound neuropsychiatric disturbance precipitated by acute illness.
Why it matters
Delirium risk in people with dementia has usually been treated as yes-or-no: cognitively impaired or not. This study asked whether risk instead rises step by step as cognitive impairment and brain changes worsen. It followed people in the population-based Vantaa 85+ study for new delirium, measured earlier impairment with the MMSE, and also used mice. It is an observational look at delirium risk, not a test of any treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
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The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial will provide important information on the risks and benefits of intensive blood pressure treatment targets in a diverse sample of high-risk participants, including those with prior cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and those aged ≥75 years.
Why it matters
This describes the design of a large randomized trial comparing two strategies for treating systolic blood pressure, noting that high blood pressure is a risk factor for decline in cognitive function. It reports the trial's design and participant numbers, not results on whether blood pressure treatment prevents dementia.
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This JAMA clinical review synthesizes cohort studies and meta-analyses to give physicians practical guidance on recognizing, assessing, and treating caregiver burden.
Why it matters
This clinical review identifies who is most at risk for caregiver burden and reviews which interventions help. Support groups and psychoeducational interventions for dementia caregivers showed only mild-to-modest efficacy.
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The 4AT is a new test for rapid screening of delirium in routine clinical practice.
Why it matters
This study tested a rapid delirium screening tool in hospitalized older people and found it had good sensitivity and specificity for delirium. It is about detecting delirium, not about treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Agreement for detection of SS was excellent (unweighted κ of 0.81).
Why it matters
In this memory clinic group, cortical superficial siderosis was found in 2.1% of patients without a known cause, and its prevalence differed by diagnosis, being relatively high in Alzheimer disease. Its presence did not appear to predict how severe the Alzheimer disease was, and the authors say more long-term research is needed to understand its clinical relevance.
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61/100
Because of the aging population and a rise in the number of stroke survivors, the prevalence of post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is increasing.
Why it matters
This cohort study of mild stroke patients identified factors linked to cognitive impairment three months after stroke. It is about understanding who develops post-stroke cognitive problems and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Emotion-focused, patient-centered interventions like PIPAC hold promise for advancing treatment options in the early and mild stages of dementia.
Why it matters
This pilot randomly assigned 19 pairs (a person with mild dementia plus a family member) to either a four-session program of reminiscence and future planning (PIPAC) or minimal phone contact. At the end of the program, the 10 program pairs showed "clinically meaningful differences (with medium to large effect sizes)" compared with the 8 phone-contact pairs in depressive symptoms, quality of life and decisional conflict. With so few people, nearly all of them white, and no longer-term follow-up, this shows the approach is worth testing properly. It does not show that it works.
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This study evaluated longitudinal CSF biomarker measures collected when participants were cognitively normal to determine the magnitude and time course of biomarker changes before the onset of clinical symptoms in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Why it matters
This longitudinal study of 265 people who were cognitively normal at baseline examined how CSF biomarker changes relate to later onset of mild cognitive impairment. It is an observational study of biomarker timing and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Among older adults, anemia is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia.
Why it matters
In this study of older adults free of dementia at baseline, anemia was associated with an increased risk of developing dementia over 11 years, even after adjusting for other factors. This identifies anemia as a possible risk factor that warrants further study; it does not show that treating anemia prevents dementia.
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The prevalence of dementia, AD, and VaD among individuals aged 65 years and older were 5.14% (95% CI, 4.71-5.57), 3.21% (95% CI, 2.87-3.55), and 1.50% (95% CI, 1.26-1.74), respectively.
Why it matters
This survey found that dementia and Alzheimer's disease were more common in rural than urban areas of China, and suggested education might explain part of the difference. It reports prevalence patterns only and tests no treatment, cure or prevention.
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The CAIDE dementia and Framingham risk scores predict cognitive decline in late middle age but the Framingham risk scores may have an advantage over the dementia risk score for use in primary prevention for assessing risk of cognitive decline and targeting of modifiable risk factors.
Why it matters
This cohort study found that higher cardiovascular and stroke risk scores were associated with greater 10-year cognitive decline, and these scores showed slightly stronger associations than a dementia risk score. The findings suggest that vascular risk factors may help predict cognitive decline in late middle age.
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.
- Risk of first ischaemic stroke and use of antidopaminergic antiemetics: nationwide case-time-control study
- Consensus classification of posterior cortical atrophy
- Sex-Specific Differences in End-of-Life Burdensome Interventions and Antibiotic Therapy in Nursing Home Residents With Advanced Dementia
- Cognition and dementia in older patients with epilepsy
- Systematic review of health behavioral risks and cognitive health in older adults
- Dysphagia in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and dementia through fluoroscopic study with barium swallow in a memory clinic
- Desenvolvimento de sistema baseado na internet para orientação e telemonitoramento de usuários de prótese auditiva
- Cognitive Frailty in China: Results from China Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Study
- Memory, executive, and multidomain subtle cognitive impairment: clinical and biomarker findings
- The inter-relationship between delirium and dementia: the importance of delirium prevention