In a recent study published in the journal Neurology , a team of scientists in the Netherlands constructed a clinical model to predict cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease patients using baseline predictors such as Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4 dose, levels of β-amyloid 1–42 in cerebrospinal fluid, and age. Study: Predicting Cognitive Decline in Amyloid-Positive Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Mild Dementia . GD Arts / Shutterstock Although Alzheimer's disease causes progressive neurodegeneration, the rate of cognitive decline varies considerably across patients.
Close to 100 million individuals are believed to be in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, where they are experiencing mild cognitive impairment or some form of mild dementia. For an individual experiencing mild cognitive impairment, the progression to dementia occurs on average over the next four years. New treatments for Alzheimer's disease are attempting to slow the progression of the disease from mild cognitive impairment stages to dementia by targeting amyloid plaques, but whether these treatments are effective remains uncertain.
Furthermore, given the heterogeneity observed in the rates at which mild cognitive impairment progresses to dementia in different patients, understanding the impact of these treatment options on the cognitive decline trajectory is complicated. It is important to design clinical models that can predict the trajectory of cogni.