Research priorities to reduce the global burden of dementia by 2025

Abstract

At the First WHO Ministerial Conference on Global Action Against Dementia in March, 2015, 160 delegates, including representatives from 80 WHO Member States and four UN agencies, agreed on a call for action to reduce the global burden of dementia by fostering a collective effort to advance research. To drive this effort, we completed a globally representative research prioritisation exercise using an adapted version of the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative method. We elicited 863 research questions from 201 participants and consolidated these questions into 59 thematic research avenues, which were scored anonymously by 162 researchers and stakeholders from 39 countries according to five criteria. Six of the top ten research priorities were focused on prevention, identification, and reduction of dementia risk, and on delivery and quality of care for people with dementia and their carers. Other priorities related to diagnosis, biomarkers, treatment development, basic research into disease mechanisms, and public awareness and understanding of dementia. Research priorities identified by this systematic international process should be mapped onto the global dementia research landscape to identify crucial gaps and inform and motivate policy makers, funders, and researchers to support and conduct research to reduce the global burden of dementia. Efforts are needed by all stakeholders, including WHO, WHO Member States, and civil society, to continuously monitor research investments and progress, through international platforms such as a Global Dementia Observatory. With established research priorities, an opportunity now exists to translate the call for action into a global dementia action plan to reduce the global burden of dementia.

A roadmap to advance dementia research in prevention, diagnosis, intervention, and care by 2025

“…There have been several dementia research road maps developed to date, but their implementation remains a challenge 5, 6, 7, 8. Effective implementation of this road map will require funding, a high level of coordination between different stakeholders, and maintained high‐level national priority to be given to dementia.…”

“…Together, these form a research road map to accelerate understanding by 2025. This sought to build on previous initiatives to identify gaps in dementia research, including the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting initiatives in the United Kingdom6 and the WHO research priorities to reduce the global burden of dementia by 2025 7. In the current exercise, challenges and barriers that can prevent the commissioning and delivery of research were also considered, so that the road map includes infrastructure, research, and methodological development needed to underpin the research priorities identified.…”

Artemisinin protects PC12 cells against β-amyloid-induced apoptosis through activation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway

“…Currently, due to rapidly aging populations, the prevalence of AD is growing exponentially and it becomes a huge burden on society and patients’ families [38], [39]. However, the pathogenesis of AD has not yet clearly been explained despite great progress in basic research, and there remains a dearth of effective treatments and cures.…”

Sex Differences in the Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Cognitive Impairment No Dementia among the Elderly in a Rural Area of Northern China: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

“…By 2050, more than 131.5 million people are expected to be affected [3]. Dementia is already a heavy burden for those living with the disease, their families, and society.…”

“…Dementia is already a heavy burden for those living with the disease, their families, and society. The burden and global annual costs of USD 818 billion (US) are expected to increase substantially over the next few decades [3].…”