Dementia: How to Prevent Cognitive Decline

Now, an international team of researchers led by Université de Montréal psychology professor Sylvie Belleville has determined how many such intervention sessions are needed to prevent people at risk of cognitive decline: only about 12

The study by Dr Belleville and colleagues at the Universities of Toulouse and Helsinki is published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association: The Journal of The Alzheimer's Association)

"In pharmacological research, every effort is made to determine the optimal therapeutic dose required to observe the desired effect," said Belleville, a neuropsychologist and researcher at the Gériatrie de Montréal Research Centre at the udm-affiliated university researcher

Therefore, it is crucial to determine the optimal number of treatments

The study was based on a secondary analysis of data from the three-year Multidisciplinary Alzheimer's Prevention Trial (MAPT) and looked at 749 participants who received a range of interventions aimed at preventing cognitive decline

Personality is important

In their study, Belleville's team noted that people's personalities should be considered when determining the optimal therapeutic dose

In their study, the researchers assessed the effects of these programs based on each participant's age, gender, education level, cognitive and physical condition

The primary results showed a plateau effect after 12 to 14 treatments with increasing doses

The verdict? The researchers say it's important to identify and determine the optimal dose and customize the treatment for each individual

Journal Reference :

1. Sylvie Belleville, Simon Cloutier, Samira Mellah, Sherry L Willis, Bruno Vellas, Nicola Coley, Sandrine Andrieu, Tiia Ngandu.