Dementia Disorders: A Narrative Review

Abstract

This narrative review of research includes summaries of 40 papers on dementia disorders that were published during 2023. The publications of this period are primarily randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews/ meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. A few of these are focused on the prevalence of dementia which approximated one per cent of the world’s population. Only a few studies focused on effects of dementia disorders including memory loss, discrimination, pain, depression and suicidality. Most of the studies addressed predictors of dementia disorders including neurotic personality, frequent tv/computer use and excessive exposure to metals. Loss of short-term memory and other negative experiences including negative life events, loneliness, stress and depression were also significant predictor variables in this recent literature. Physical conditions that were predictive of dementia included pain, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, multi-morbidities, inflammation, encephalitis and neuropathology. Potential underlying mechanisms included dysfunctional neurotransmitter systems (serotonergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic) and gray matter loss in prefrontal, temporal and other regions associated with memory. Several research groups reported on effective interventions including a Mediterranean diet, plant-based diets, medicinal plants, psychedelics, second generation antidepressants, blood pressure medication, music therapy, aromatherapy and other alternative therapies. Methodological problems relate to the variability in the assessments of dementia disorders, the self-report measures and the cross-sectional data that are not definitive about directionality of predictors and effects of dementia disorders.