SynthesisNeurology2025
Cognitive Impairment and Dementia-Related Diagnoses in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Neuropsychological Profile of Autopsy-Confirmed Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Plasma Phosphorylated Tau 217 in Participants at Risk for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Cognitive, biomarker, and neuroimaging indices associated with traumatic encephalopathy syndrome across two independent athlete cohorts.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2026Article
- Performance of traumatic encephalopathy syndrome criteria in identifying individuals with chronic traumatic encephalopathy.Nature medicine · 2026Article
- Cognitive, biomarker, and neuroimaging indices associated with traumatic encephalopathy syndrome across two independent athlete cohorts.Research square · 2026Article
- CTE neuropathology alone is associated with dementia and cognitive symptoms.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesClinical features of individuals with autopsy findings of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) have been described for 50 years. Clinical criteria have been proposed, although cognitive correlates of CTE remain unknown. This study examined whether CTE was related to dementia and patterns of cognitive impairment to summarize the clinicopathologic evidence.
methodsA systematic review and meta-analysis was performed, composed of a multicenter interdisciplinary team. Five databases were searched from their inception to March 2025. Original studies involving participants with neuropathologic findings of CTE and neuropsychological data were included. A multistage selection approach was used, including a review by neuropathologists to ensure that studies conformed to CTE consensus criteria. Methodological quality was rated from 9 items using a modified Murad Case Report Methodological Quality Tool. The main outcomes of interest were domains of cognitive functioning, based on objective testing, and prevalence of dementia-related clinical diagnoses in individuals with CTE. A random-effects meta-analysis examined prevalence of dementia-related diagnoses, and meta-regression examined whether Alzheimer-type neuropathology or any comorbid neuropathology was a moderator.
resultsA total of 36 studies comprising 563 unique CTE cases were included. Only 22 CTE cases (<5%) had objective neuropsychological data available from studies (k = 10) of acceptable quality. Deficits in memory, language, and attention were the most prevalent cognitive features, but all cases had comorbid non-CTE neuropathologies that may have been associated with cognitive impairment. Diverse neuropsychological impairments were observed, resulting in no consistent cognitive pattern, even for high CTE severity. Dementia-related diagnoses were prevalent (62%; 95% CI 48%-75%) in the meta-analysis (k = 13; n = 492), yet not strongly related to non-CTE neuropathologies recorded (estimate = 0.14, 95% CI -0.62 to 0.91; DISCUSSION: Limited CTE cases have been published with objective neuropsychological information. CTE cases show cognitive deficits resembling Alzheimer dementia, but a direct clinicopathologic link is inconclusive. While the meta-analytic findings suggest that CTE may be associated with cognitive impairment, further investigation is needed because heterogeneity in study designs prohibits clear conclusions. To realize any clinicopathologic links and inform future iterations of clinical criteria, a transition in how cognition is investigated in CTE will be needed and several research directions are proposed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.