Dementia is currently one of the leading causes of disability and dependency among older people, with over 55 million individuals worldwide living with dementia, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Contrary to popular belief, dementia is not a normal part of aging. This year's World Alzheimer's Month challenges this misconception, emphasizing that while age is the most substantial known risk factor, up to 40% of dementia cases can be prevented or delayed.

Dementia is a broad term that describes several brain diseases affecting memory, other cognitive abilities, and behavior, significantly interfering with a person's ability to carry out daily activities. Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent form, contributing to 60–70% of dementia cases.

While dementia remains a complex challenge, scientists are making significant progress in understanding and treating it. With this in mind, we've selected three Research Topics that explore recent breakthroughs in diagnosis.

All articles are openly available to view and download.

1 | Translational Advances in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other Dementia: Molecular Mechanisms, Biomarkers, Diagnosis, and Therapies, Volume III

162.100 views | 42 articles

This Research Topic brings a multidisciplinary perspective and updated insight into the most recent advances in dementia. It covers genetics, biomarkers -molecular and imaging-, computer-aided diagnosis, and therapies.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common devastating dementia and neurodegenerative disease in older adults. The importance of diagnosing AD in its early stage is paramount to the aging population as the pathology is irreversible. However, the detection of AD and other dementias in the early phase remains a challenge in the current standard of care.

This Research Topic is part of a series on translational advances in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative dementias: Volume I and Volume II

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2 | Early Indicators of Cognitive Decline, Alzheimer's Disease, and Related Dementias Captured by Neurophysiological Tools

45.000 views | 14 articles

The scientists leading this Research Topic provide a more accurate picture of brain integrity in older adults. They also highlight biomarker studies that provide opportunities for early detection of cognitive impairments in the predementia window, i.e., mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage.

The goal is to gather scientific contributions on non-invasive methodologies to significantly improve the detection of early cognitive impairment and the ability to characterize individuals along the AD trajectory.

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3 | Impacts of Public-Private Collaborative Research on Alzheimer's Disease: The Case of the Innovative Medicines Initiative

36.900 views | 12 articles

This research topic advances new knowledge and resources for the dementia research community and the patients to foster new approaches for translating research outputs into valuable outcomes for people with dementia.

AD burdens every aspect of a person’s life and has a significant socio-economic impact. There is no cure for such a condition, and available treatments only address (partially) some symptoms but do not slow disease progression. Additionally, only a fraction of people with dementia get a timely diagnosis, and many more are at risk.

To tackle these challenges, fostering an all-around approach that delivers solutions from the lab to the clinic is fundamental.

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