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Preclinical Alzheimer's dementia: A useful concept or another dead end?
Mark,Ruth E. Brehmer,Yvonne
Mark,Ruth E.
Brehmer,Yvonne
Abstract
The term, preclinical dementia, was introduced in 2011 when new guidelines for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's dementia (AD) were published. In the intervening 11 years, many studies have appeared in the literature focusing on this early stage. A search conducted in English on Google Scholar on 06.23.2022 using the term "preclinical (Alzheimer's) dementia" produced 121, 000 results. However, the label is arguably more relevant for research purposes, and it is possible that the knowledge gained may lead to a cure for AD. The term has not been widely adopted by clinical practitioners. Furthermore, it is still not possible to predict who, after a diagnosis of preclinical dementia, will go on to develop AD, and if so, what the risk factors (modifiable and non-modifiable) might be. This Review/Theoretical article will focus on preclinical Alzheimer's dementia (hereafter called preclinical AD). We outline how preclinical AD is currently defined, explain how it is diagnosed and explore why this is problematic at a number of different levels. We also ask the question: Is the concept 'preclinical AD' useful in clinical practice or is it just another dead end in the Holy Grail to find a treatment for AD? Specific recommendations for research and clinical practice are provided.
Description
No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.
Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Alzheimer's dementia, Biomarkers, Ethics, Mild cognitive impairment, Preclinical (Alzheimer's) dementia, MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, DISEASE, DIAGNOSIS, HEALTH, ASSOCIATION, DEFINITION, PREVALENCE, TRIALS
Citation
Mark, R E & Brehmer, Y 2022, 'Preclinical Alzheimer's dementia : A useful concept or another dead end?', European Journal of Ageing, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 997-1004. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-022-00735-w
License
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess