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Dementia

Time trends in neuropathology give clues to dementia risk reduction

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 19, pages 389–390 (2023)Cite this article

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A new study sheds light on the declining incidence of dementia by examining trends in neuropathology over time in autopsy results from two large US cohorts. Although the prevalence of neurodegenerative pathologies remained similar, a reduction in the prevalence of vascular pathologies over time suggests that improvements in both cardiovascular health and cognitive reserve have helped to reduce dementia risk.

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Acknowledgements

We thank C. Brayne for her contribution. R.M. is funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK (doctoral studentship ARUK-PhD2017-34).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cambridge Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Richard Merrick

  2. Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Fiona E. Matthews

Authors
  1. Richard Merrick
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  2. Fiona E. Matthews
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Correspondence to Richard Merrick.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1

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Merrick, R., Matthews, F.E. Time trends in neuropathology give clues to dementia risk reduction. Nat Rev Neurol 19, 389–390 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-023-00812-3

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