SynthesisAlzheimer's research & therapy2017
Evidence for benefit of statins to modify cognitive decline and risk in Alzheimer's disease.
Synthesis in Alzheimer's research & therapy, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 112 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
112 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 189 citations in OpenAlex.
- GWAS of CRP response to statins further supports the role of APOE in statin response: A GIST consortium study.Pharmacological research · 2025Pooled it
- The efficacy of statins in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2020Pooled it
- Association between atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Brain and behavior · 2020Pooled it
- Viral Induced Oxidative and Inflammatory Response in Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis with Identification of Potential Drug Candidates: A Systematic Review using Systems Biology Approach.Current neuropharmacology · 2019Pooled it
- Use of statins and the risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2018Pooled it
- Systematic review of the efficacy of statins for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2018Pooled it
- No association between APOE genotype and lipid lowering with cognitive function in a randomized controlled trial of evolocumab.PloS one · 2022Trial
- Effects of simvastatin on white matter integrity in healthy middle-aged adults.Annals of clinical and translational neurology · 2021Trial
- Effects of sartans and low-dose statins on cerebral white matter hyperintensities and cognitive function in older patients with hypertension: a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trial.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2019Trial
- Data-driven identification of endophenotypes of Alzheimer's disease progression: implications for clinical trials and therapeutic interventions.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2018Trial
- Simvastatin rescues cognitive impairment in an AβNeuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Hypertension is associated with better brain health outcomes in older-age asymptomatic carotid disease populations - A Multi-Cohort Study.Research square · 2026Article
- Blood PCSK9 Impacts Alzheimer's Disease Risk in anHealth science reports · 2026Article
- The heterogeneous treatment effects of statins on dementia: a target trial emulation with causal machine learning using integrated genetic and real-world data.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Apolipoprotein E4 in Alzheimer's Disease: Role in Pathology, Lipid Metabolism, and Drug Treatment.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Mechanistic role of APOE lipidation in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis.Theranostics · 2026Review
- Facts and myths about the use and effects of statins in patients with dyslipidaemia: a survey of physicians.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2026Article
- Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) in Alzheimer's Disease: Recent Advances and Controversies.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- Enhancing diagnostic precision in Alzheimer's disease: Impact of comorbidities on blood biomarkers for clinical integration.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025Article
- Lipid profiling reveals unsaturated lipid reduction in women with Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025Article
52 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDespite substantial research and development investment in Alzheimer's disease (AD), effective therapeutics remain elusive. Significant emerging evidence has linked cholesterol, β-amyloid and AD, and several studies have shown a reduced risk for AD and dementia in populations treated with statins. However, while some clinical trials evaluating statins in general AD populations have been conducted, these resulted in no significant therapeutic benefit. By focusing on subgroups of the AD population, it may be possible to detect endotypes responsive to statin therapy.
methodsHere we investigate the possible protective and therapeutic effect of statins in AD through the analysis of datasets of integrated clinical trials, and prospective observational studies.
resultsRe-analysis of AD patient-level data from failed clinical trials suggested by trend that use of simvastatin may slow the progression of cognitive decline, and to a greater extent in ApoE4 homozygotes. Evaluation of continual long-term use of various statins, in participants from multiple studies at baseline, revealed better cognitive performance in statin users. These findings were supported in an additional, observational cohort where the incidence of AD was significantly lower in statin users, and ApoE4/ApoE4-genotyped AD patients treated with statins showed better cognitive function over the course of 10-year follow-up.
conclusionsThese results indicate that the use of statins may benefit all AD patients with potentially greater therapeutic efficacy in those homozygous for ApoE4.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.