Articles

This study aimed to assess the associations of both serum vitamin D status and supplementation with all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VD) incidence. It highlighted consistent associations between various facets of vitamin D and multivitamin intake, objectively measured vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency from blood samples, and 14-year dementia incidence in a study population aged 55 to 69 years at baseline. Subgroup analyses revealed effect modification by skin color with associations only observed in the non-brown/non-black skin color group and stronger effect estimates for vitamin D supplementation in younger compared to older study participants. Although results are encouraging and suggest a potential role for vitamin D supplementation in dementia prevention, particularly for those with vitamin D deficiency, caution is advised due to the observational nature of this study. RCTs with long follow-up periods are indispensable to establishing the efficacy of dementia prevention strategies.

The activation of the innate immune system and subsequent neuroinflammation are common hallmarks of all neurodegenerative diseases. Castro-Gomez and Heneka review the emerging evidence related to receptors implicated in the activation of innate immunity during neurodegenerative processes. They predominantly focus on the role of microglia, PRRs, and other DAMP-sensing receptors in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, tauopathy, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

This review explores the role of platelet dysfunction in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), discussing in vitro, in vivo, and clinical evidence related to platelet activation, adhesion, and aggregation, and highlighting potential therapeutic targets to address amyloid-related AD pathogenesis.

Despite diagnostic challenges in differentiating lvPPA and nfvPPA, particularly in advanced cases, this study reveals divergent clinical courses and highlights the importance of assessing emotion processing capacity in dementia diagnosis and monitoring. Utilizing spatiotemporal LME modelling, the research provides valuable insights into the dynamic changes in brain atrophy and behavior, underscoring the need for ongoing evaluation of clinical requirements for patients and families over the disease course.