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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57/100
The recently published results of the 18-month randomized controlled trial of lecanemab, reporting the efficacy of the drug in slowing the progression of early Alzheimer disease, quickly led to approval by the FDA and widespread acceptance of lecanemab treatment.
Why it matters
This commentary raises questions about the lecanemab trial, including that blinding success was not assessed and that the benefit was between 18% and 46% of estimates of the minimal clinically important difference on the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes. It also notes the treatment burden begins immediately while benefit accrues years later, which would reduce the benefit/burden ratio.
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57/100
Of 285 297 total patients, 180 283 (63.2%) were female; 586 (0.2%) were American Indian/Alaska Native, 8957 (3.1%) Asian, 28 694 (10.1%) Black, 7406 (2.6%) Hispanic, 1959 (0.7%) Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 237 017 (83.1%) non-Hispanic White, and 678 (0.2%) multiracial individuals.
Why it matters
This study found that Medicare Advantage patients received shorter and less intensive home health care than traditional Medicare patients with similar needs, and had slightly worse functional outcomes but were more likely to discharge to the community. The authors suggest this may have negative implications such as reduced functional independence or increased caregiver burden.
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The study included 100.7 million people (51.5% male, 68.0% with ≥70 years), 20.4% died from cancer and 5.8% from dementia; 30.8% of deaths took place at home.
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57/100
Current dementia risk scores have had limited success in consistently identifying at-risk individuals across different ages and geographical locations.
Why it matters
This study developed and tested a new tool to estimate a person's risk of developing dementia in midlife, using data from two large UK groups. Such a risk score could help identify people who might benefit from closer monitoring or preventive steps, though it does not itself prevent or treat dementia.
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The huge costs of dementia worldwide place enormous strains on care systems and families alike.
Why it matters
Estimates that the global societal costs of dementia in 2019 were US $1313.4 billion for 55.2 million people with dementia, with about half from informal care. Most people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries, but 74% of the costs occur in high-income countries.
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Whether or not there is targeted pharmacotherapy for dementia, an active and healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity (PA) may be a better option than medication for preventing dementia.
Why it matters
This study examined the link between leisure-time sedentary behavior and dementia risk, and estimated what happens when sedentary time is replaced with physical activity. It suggests that an active and healthy lifestyle may be a better option than medication for preventing dementia.
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Plasma metabolomic profile is disturbed in dementia patients, but previous studies have discordant conclusions.
Why it matters
This study measured many blood metabolites in a large group and built a model that predicted incident dementia over 10 years. It suggests that blood metabolic patterns might help identify people at higher risk, but it does not show that changing these metabolites can prevent or treat dementia.
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In cognitively unimpaired (CU) adults at baseline, the risk for progression to dementia increased for every decile increase in the ADI state ranking (hazard ratio = 1.06, 95% confidence interval (1.01-1.11), P = .01).
Why it matters
This study found that in cognitively unimpaired older adults, higher baseline neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation was associated with progression to dementia and slightly faster cognitive decline. It also found that higher levels of neighborhood deprivation were associated with greater mild cognitive impairment odds and higher dementia risk.
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Long-term exposure to PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and/or BC in Denmark were associated with mortality beyond cardiorespiratory diseases, including diabetes, dementia, psychiatric disorders, asthma, and ALRI.
Why it matters
This Danish cohort study found that long-term exposure to certain air pollutants was statistically significantly associated with mortality from several causes, including dementia. It reports an association between air pollution and death from dementia but does not test or report any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Advance care planning (ACP) is increasingly acknowledged as a key step to enable patients to define their goals/preferences for future medical care, together with their carers and health professionals.
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In this cohort of U.S. women, PM2.5 exposure was associated with lower MRI-based WMV, an indication of brain aging, only among women whose usual diet was less consistent with the MIND-like dietary pattern at baseline. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP8036.
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Despite lower dementia prevalence, Black participants with dementia had more dementia risk factors, as well as greater cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptom severity than White participants.
Why it matters
In National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center data from 39 research centres (5,700 Black and 31,225 White participants), dementia was diagnosed in 27% of Black and 36% of White participants. Even so, risk factors were more common among Black participants, and Black participants with dementia showed "greater cognitive deficits, neuropsychiatric symptoms/severity, and functional dependence." These are research-centre participants, not the general population, and the study compares groups without testing causes or treatments.
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This pilot trial aims to explore the feasibility of the trial, verify essential information of its efficacy and safety.
Why it matters
This is a protocol for a small pilot trial testing acupuncture in people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. No results are reported, so its effect on cognition or progression to Alzheimer's disease is unknown.
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Systemic racism leads to racial/ethnic residential segregation, which can result in health inequities.
Why it matters
This study examined whether living in racially segregated neighborhoods was linked to thinking and dementia in older adults. It found some links between segregation and lower language scores, especially for non-Hispanic Black adults, but it does not test any treatment or cure.
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In India, increasing lifespan and decreasing fertility rates have resulted in a growing number of older persons.
Why it matters
This review describes how India's aging population is expected to bring a large rise in dementia, and notes that findings from North America and Europe may not apply to India's diverse population. It calls for more research and for low-cost, culturally appropriate interventions, but reports no treatment or cure.
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Study objectives To examine associations between positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, adherence and incident diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia not otherwise specified (DNOS) in older adults.
Why it matters
In this study of Medicare beneficiaries with obstructive sleep apnea, treatment with positive airway pressure was associated with lower odds of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and dementia not otherwise specified. Because it is a retrospective study based on claims data, it can show an association but cannot prove that the treatment prevents dementia.
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About 245 patients were included and postoperative delirium affected 12.2% (30/245) of the patients.
Why it matters
This retrospective study built machine learning models from electronic chart data to predict postoperative delirium after hip fracture surgery, identifying dementia or stroke history among the top risk factors. It is about predicting delirium risk and does not report any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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HbA1c and diabetes diagnosis were used to define baseline glycaemic categories.
Why it matters
This UK Biobank study of 500,000 people examined the relationship between HbA1c and brain health across the entire glycaemic spectrum, including incident dementia and brain imaging measures. It is observational, so it cannot prove that controlling blood sugar would prevent dementia.
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Over 44 million people suffer from dementia around the world.
Why it matters
This systematic review found that people with subjective cognitive decline had a higher chance of progressing to dementia. The authors conclude more detailed longitudinal studies are needed, and no treatment or prevention is tested.
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There is a growing interest in using technology to provide meaningful activities for people living with dementia.
Why it matters
This systematic review examined digital technologies used to create individualized, meaningful activities for people living with dementia, grouping them into purposes such as reminiscence, behavior management, engagement, and communication. It found the use of such technology promising for improving behavior and promoting relationships, but noted a need for more evidence on feasibility of implementation.
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Higher cardiovascular risk burden may predict decline in episodic memory, working memory, and perceptual speed and is associated with neurodegeneration and vascular lesions in the brain.
Why it matters
In this long-term study, higher cardiovascular risk scores were associated with faster decline in global cognition, episodic memory, working memory, and perceptual speed. This suggests managing cardiovascular risk may be relevant to cognitive health, but the study does not prove that treating risk factors prevents Alzheimer's disease.
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Caregivers reported that digital mental health tools have an overall positive role in their health.
Why it matters
This scoping review found that digital mental health tools have an overall positive role in caregivers' health but that there is a lack of apps specifically for caregivers of older adults and a lack of all-encompassing tools. It concerns caregiver support, not treating, curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Adults with type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of developing certain brain or mental disorders, including stroke, dementia, and depression.
Why it matters
This review describes evidence that diabetes-related cerebral microvascular dysfunction is associated with higher risk of stroke, cognitive dysfunction, and depression, and suggests treatments targeting these pathways might improve outcomes. It does not report a tested treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Survey-based cognitive tests and claims-based dementia diagnosis yielded equal prevalence estimates, yet only half were identified by both measures.
Why it matters
In 10,450 Health and Retirement Study participants linked to Medicare claims from 2000 to 2008, survey cognitive tests and claims diagnoses gave the same overall dementia prevalence, but only half of cases were flagged by both, and race and education were associated with the two disagreeing. Among people whose cognitive tests showed new dementia, 85% received a diagnosis or died within the study period; Black and Hispanic respondents had lower odds of this than white respondents. The authors conclude that claims are valuable for tracking dementia but that delayed diagnosis may understate rates in Black and Hispanic populations, so claims-based counts for those groups should be read as possibly low.
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CNS small vessel disease (CSVD) causes 25% of strokes and contributes to 45% of dementia cases.
Why it matters
This review states that CNS small vessel disease contributes to many dementia cases and that uncertainty about its causes has delayed effective treatment. It describes the disease and its diagnosis but does not report a treatment, cure, or prevention for 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.
- Associations Between Midlife Vascular Risk Factors and 25-Year Incident Dementia in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Cohort
- Virtual Data Collection Strategies in Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD)
- Anterior hippocampal volume deficits in nonamnesic, aging chronic alcoholics
- Cancer risk according to lifestyle risk score trajectories: a population-based cohort study
- Is caregiver burden associated with sex and gender-related characteristics? A large-scale survey study among family caregivers of people with dementia
- Physical Activity and Exercise in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: An Umbrella Review of Intervention and Observational Studies
- Mediterranean diet and brain structure in a multiethnic elderly cohort
- A clinicopathologic study of 100 cases of Parkinson's disease
- Association of Cardiovascular Health With Life Expectancy Free of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, and Dementia in UK Adults
- Better palliative care for people with a dementia: summary of interdisciplinary workshop highlighting current gaps and recommendations for future research