A recent study delved into the ability to forecast how rapidly individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease will undergo cognitive decline. The research also investigated the potential of newly approved drugs for the disease in mitigating this decline.
The rate at which cognitive decline occurs varies significantly among individuals, making it crucial to develop more accurate prediction models to help individuals and their families anticipate the progression of the disease,” expressed study author Dr. Pieter J. van der Veere from the Amsterdam University Medical Center in the Netherlands.
The study involved 961 participants with an average age of 65, including 310 with mild cognitive impairment and 651 with mild dementia, all exhibiting early signs of Alzheimer’s disease with amyloid-beta plaques in their brains, which are the primary target of the new drugs.
Using a test measuring thinking and memory skills, where scores range from zero to 30, the study observed a decline in scores over five years. Individuals with mild cognitive impairment saw their scores drop from 26.4 to 21.0, while those with mild dementia experienced a decline from 22.4 to 7.8 over the same period.
The developed models proved effective in predicting the rate of cognitive decline, albeit with some level of uncertainty. For about half of individuals with mild cognitive impairment, the actual test scores differed by less than two points from the predicted scores, while for those with mild dementia, the difference was less than three points for half of the participants.
Through simulations, the researchers estimated the time it might take for individuals with specific baseline scores and amyloid levels to progress to moderate dementia, revealing that a 30% reduction in the rate of decline could delay reaching this stage by a considerable amount of time.
Dr. van der Veere emphasized the importance of these predictive models in addressing common concerns of individuals and their caregivers, such as determining how long they can engage in certain activities. The hope is that these models will eventually assist physicians in providing more personalized insights into quality of life and daily functioning for those affected by cognitive disorders.
It’s worth noting that a limitation of the study was the variability in the timing of cognitive tests, as individuals with cognitive decline may exhibit lower scores later in the day due to fatigue.
The research received support from Eisai, ZonMW, and Health~Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health.
