Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38584319›Full record

ArticleThe British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science2024

Associations between multimorbidity and neuropathology in dementia: consideration of functional cognitive disorders, psychiatric illness and dementia mimics.

Calum A Hamilton, Fiona E Matthews, Johannes Attems, Paul C Donaghy, Daniel Erskine, John-Paul Taylor, Alan J Thomas

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Multimorbidity in dementia: Current perspectives and future challenges.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Calum A HamiltonTranslational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9812-3150
Fiona E MatthewsPopulation Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1728-2388
Johannes AttemsTranslational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Paul C DonaghyTranslational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Daniel ErskineTranslational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
John-Paul TaylorTranslational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Alan J ThomasTranslational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Funding

Alzheimer's Research TrustMedical Research Council MR/W000229/1NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research CentreWellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMultimorbidity, the presence of two or more health conditions, has been identified as a possible risk factor for clinical dementia. It is unclear whether this is due to worsening brain health and underlying neuropathology, or other factors. In some cases, conditions may reflect the same disease process as dementia (e.g. Parkinson's disease, vascular disease), in others, conditions may reflect a prodromal stage of dementia (e.g. depression, anxiety and psychosis).

aimsTo assess whether multimorbidity in later life was associated with more severe dementia-related neuropathology at autopsy.

methodWe examined ante-mortem and autopsy data from 767 brain tissue donors from the UK, identifying physical multimorbidity in later life and specific brain-related conditions. We assessed associations between these purported risk factors and dementia-related neuropathological changes at autopsy (Alzheimer's-disease related neuropathology, Lewy body pathology, cerebrovascular disease and limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy) with logistic models.

resultsPhysical multimorbidity was not associated with greater dementia-related neuropathological changes. In the presence of physical multimorbidity, clinical dementia was less likely to be associated with Alzheimer's disease pathology. Conversely, conditions which may be clinical or prodromal manifestations of dementia-related neuropathology (Parkinson's disease, cerebrovascular disease, depression and other psychiatric conditions) were associated with dementia and neuropathological changes.

conclusionsPhysical multimorbidity alone is not associated with greater dementia-related neuropathological change; inappropriate inclusion of brain-related conditions in multimorbidity measures and misdiagnosis of neurodegenerative dementia may better explain increased rates of clinical dementia in multimorbidity.

Indexed as

DementiaMultimorbidityAgedAged, 80 and overAlzheimer DiseaseAutopsyBrainCerebrovascular DisordersDiagnosis, DifferentialFemaleHumansMaleMental DisordersMiddle AgedRisk FactorsUnited Kingdomdementias/neurodegenerative diseasesdepressive disordersMultimorbidityneuropathologypsychotic disorders/schizophrenia

Identifiers

PMID38584319
PMCPMC7615979

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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.