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Clinical Digest: March Update
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Dear ISTAART Member,
Welcome to the March issue of the ISTAART Clinical Digest. In this edition, learn about an upcoming webinar on Institutional Review Boards, new applications to IMPACT-AD 2026 tracks and updates from US POINTER. You'll also find highlights of the upcoming AAIC 2026, ALZ-NET, TrialMatch, and the latest clinician-focused science in our journal family. As part of ISTAART, you have direct access to tools and a community committed to improving dementia care together.
Read on to explore this month's updates.
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Announcements, Events and Opportunities
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Alzheimer's Association International Conference® (AAIC®) 2026
The Alzheimer's Association International Conference® (AAIC®) 2026 - July 12-15, in London, U.K., and online is where the world's most influential Alzheimer's and dementia researchers and clinicians come together to advance the field. Each year, AAIC delivers groundbreaking scientific presentations, critical discussions and unparalleled collaboration, and we want you to be part of it.
At AAIC 2026, you'll have the opportunity to:
- Connect with more than 10,000 leading researchers and clinicians.
- Engage with professionals from 100+ countries, all united in accelerating progress against Alzheimer's and dementia.
- Explore the latest findings, emerging technologies and innovative approaches shaping the future of brain health.
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ACTC Webinar: Everything You Need To Know About IRBs
Join the Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) Internal Ethics Committee on March 11 at 1 p.m. PT for a webinar led by Holly Fernandez Lynch, JD, MBE, a national expert in research ethics and Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight. Learn about the origins, purpose, myths and challenges of IRBs, and gain practical guidance for building a successful partnership with your IRB. Register here.
IMPACT-AD 2026
The Institute on Methods and Protocols for Advancement of Clinical Trials in ADRD (IMPACT AD) is now accepting applications. IMPACT AD offers two unique tracks for those interested in advancing their careers in ADRD. Participation is competitive and open to individuals with a full-time position at their respective institution within the United States. See full eligibility criteria here and apply by April 30, 2026.
Research Highlight: Lifestyle and Dementia Risk Reduction
Findings from the U.S. POINTER Study and related research emphasize the potential of multidomain lifestyle interventions to preserve cognition and reduce dementia risk. Recently, Psychology Today highlighted how structured lifestyle changes, including physical activity, a brain-healthy diet, cognitive training and social engagement, not only help maintain cognitive function but may also slow cognitive aging by 1–2 years in at-risk older adults.
Together, these findings reinforce the value of practical, clinic-relevant strategies for risk reduction. You can access a suite of patient-ready brain health resources and tools to support these conversations here.
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Have you joined ALZ-NET?
Explore ALZ-NET, the Alzheimer's Association's provider-enrolled registry to individuals receiving FDA-approved Alzheimer's therapies. Participating clinicians share standardized clinical data to help strengthen understanding of how these treatments work in everyday practice.
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ALZ-NET also offers the community a Data Dashboard, an interactive analytics and visualization platform that offers inclusive, open access to aggregated, de-identified ALZ-NET registry data that anyone can explore.
By joining, you and your team gain access to resources, tools and operational support, while contributing to a growing national dataset that helps inform care, improve quality and advance the field.
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TrialMatch
Help your patients access research opportunities and support study enrollment with TrialMatch, the Association's free clinical trial matching service. One referral connects patients, care partners, and healthy volunteers to actively enrolling studies. Share TrialMatch today to expand care options and accelerate progress.
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2026 FTD Diagnostic Biomarkers Initiative Grants
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) collaborative 2026 FTD Diagnostic Biomarkers Initiative funding opportunity is now open. This initiative is made possible by the AFTD Holloway Family Fund, the Alzheimer's Association, the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, and the Robertson Foundation. Biomarkers are urgently needed as objective tools to improve access to diagnosis by screening individuals in need of evaluation by a specialist, enabling accurate and timely diagnosis, and identifying underlying pathology to inform clinical care. Letters of intent are due March 6. See full details here or email research@theaftd.org.
For more information about the Alzheimer's Association grant programs, visit alz.org/grants, or you can contact a member of the Alzheimer's Association Grants staff at grantsapp@alz.org.
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Alzheimer's & Dementia®: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association
Racial, ethnic and sex-specific mechanisms of obstructive sleep apnea and Alzheimer's disease risk
Bubu et al. explored the association between Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in 3987 polysomnographic patients. This study followed these polysomnography or sleep study patients without cognitive decline at baseline for 8.5 years to track AD diagnoses. The trial participants were 60 years or older and were followed until 2013. The authors specifically compared these associations across racial-, ethnic-, and sex-specific mechanisms. The study cohort included 663 OSA patients (284 non-Hispanic White, 207 Black, 172 Hispanic) matched by age, sex, race or ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI) to 663 non-OSA individuals. During the follow-up period, 358 patients developed symptoms of AD. The study results demonstrate OSA patients had greater risk for AD diagnosis. Additionally, the results show that there was a dose–response relationship, with mild, moderate, and severe OSA associated with increased AD risk, indicating a correlation between higher risk of AD likelihood with greater OSA severity. An analysis of sex-specific mechanisms determined that female OSA patients had a higher AD risk compared to male OSA patients. Subgroup analyses demonstrated a relationship between OSA effects and racial/ethnic groups. The results display stronger effects in certain measures including hypoxia, disordered breathing, and duration measures within and across racial/ethnic groups. Black and Hispanic patients with greater hypoxia and percent sleep time in apnea or hypopnea had greater AD risk compared to non-Hispanic White patients. This is the first study to explore hypoxia-related mechanisms contributing to AD risk in a racially diverse cohort, and highlights potential mechanisms for OSA and higher AD risk in Black and Hispanic populations.
DOI: 10.1002/alz.71144
Alzheimer's & Dementia: Behavior & Socioeconomics of Aging (BSEA)
Associations between health burden and social determinants of health with hospital utilization among American Indian and Alaska Native and non-Hispanic White adults with dementia
O'Connell et al. report findings from one of the first studies of examining the impact of health status and social determinants of health on healthcare utilization among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons with dementia. Little information exists on the relationship between health status and social determinants with hospitalization among adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), specifically among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults. This study utilized 2019 Medicare data for all AI/AN adults (N=16,188) and a 5% random sample of non-Hispanic White (N=133,841) adults aged 65+ years with ADRD. Authors examined the associations between health and social determinants with hospital utilization. Key findings included AI/AN adults had higher hospital use (45.5% vs. 40.8%) and 27.7% higher hospital days compared to non-Hispanic White adults. In both populations, hospital utilization increased with health burden and living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods was associated with more hospital days only among AI/AN adults. A larger percentage of AI/AN adults had Medicaid coverage and Medicaid was associated with fewer hospital days only among White adults. Overall, these findings support social determinants are differentially associated with hospital utilization and expenditures by race. Study results underscore the need to implement strategies and culturally relevant policies to address systemic barriers and promote comprehensive healthcare access among AI/AN adults with ADRD.
DOI: 10.1002/bsa3.70060
Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment, & Disease Monitoring (DADM)
Factors associated with discordant visual and quantitative amyloid PET results
Asken et al. detailed an investigation into the factors that underlie discordant visual and quantitative amyloid beta–positron emission tomography (Aβ-PET) results and their clinical implications. This study was conducted at the 1Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (1FLADRC). 386 participants underwent Aβ-PET, blood draw, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and neuropsychological testing. Differences in demographic characteristics, apolipoprotein E (APOE) status, biomarkers, and cognition were evaluated among participants with concordant and discordant visual-quantitative Aβ-PET. In this study, discordance was defined as positive visual read of Aβ-PET with below-threshold Centiloid quantification (Q; CL <25; Visual +/Quant –) or negative visual read with CL ≥25 (Visual –/Quant +). Results showed Visual –/Quant + were more likely than Visual +/Quant – to be APOE ε4 carriers and were more strongly associated with Black/African American participants. Discordant groups had higher plasma phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) than concordant negative. Discordant groups had less atrophy and better cognition than concordant positive. This study highlights discordant Aβ-PET findings likely hold clinical significance and may reflect early stages of neuropathological progression. Moving forward, the recommendation includes centiloid quantification to supplement visual reads in clinical settings.
DOI: 10.1002/dad2.70241
Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions (TRCI)
Impact of cognitive training on claims-based diagnosed dementia over 20 years: evidence from the ACTIVE study
Coe et al. detail findings from the very long-term effect of cognitive training on the risk of Alzheimer's disease. The results are reported from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study. This study was a multisite, single-blind four-arm randomized controlled trial of cognitive training in a large diverse sample (26% minority). Community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older who were cognitively unimpaired were eligible. The ACTIVE study randomized 2802 individuals into 4 arms including 3 cognitive training arms and 1 no-contact control arm. The three cognitive training arms used 3 interventions targeting memory, reasoning, and speed. Each intervention arm received up to ten 60- to 75-min sessions of training in small groups over 5 to 6 weeks. Individuals who completed approximately 80% of the initial training sessions were randomized to receive booster training sessions at 11 and 35 months after baseline. The study examined Medicare claims diagnoses for Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) over 20 years (1999 to 2019). ADRD was measured with the Chronic Conditions Warehouse algorithm. Participants randomized to the speed-training arm who completed one or more booster sessions had a 25% lower risk of diagnosed ADRD compared to the controls, while speed-trained participants with no booster training did not have a lower risk of diagnosed ADRD. There was no main effect of memory or reasoning training on risk of ADRD. It is noteworthy that the speed training involved a dual attention adaptive task, whereas the participants in the other training arms were provided with strategies for how to improve performance on memory and reasoning tasks. These results demonstrate training involving speed of cognitive processing has the potential to delay the diagnosis of ADRD. These findings are impactful because no prior cognitive training intervention has been shown to reduce risk of ADRD over a 20-year period. Future research may explore the brain mechanisms that underlie the benefit of the speed of processing tasks.
DOI: 10.1002/trc2.70197
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We want to hear from you!
Do you have ideas on how to improve ISTAART? Do you have questions about your membership, or would you like to learn how to get involved? Reach out to us at ISTAART@alz.org and join the conversation on ISTAART Community at alz.org/ISTAARTclinicians.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is for informational purposes and is not intended to provide medical advice. This communication is intended for clinicians specializing in dementia. If you received this message in error or would prefer not to receive further updates, please contact ISTAART.
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