Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41686995›Full record

ArticleJMIR research protocols2026

Mapping the Landscape, Knowledge Gaps, and Areas for Innovation in Brain Health and Dementia Research in Canada: Protocol for a Scoping Review of Reviews.

Juanita-Dawne Bacsu, Kiana Mero, Megan E O'Connell, Megan Funk, Alixe Ménard, Myrna Norman, Sheila Blackstock, Jim Mann, Wendy Hulko, Melba Sheila D'Souza and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR research protocols, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

11 authors.

Juanita-Dawne BacsuSchool of Nursing, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, V2C 0C8, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-2819-1617
Kiana MeroDepartment of Psychology, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada.ORCID 0009-0003-6872-5841
Megan E O'ConnellDepartment of Psychology & Health Studies, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-6159-4322
Megan FunkSchool of Nursing, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, V2C 0C8, Canada.ORCID 0009-0001-8306-4629
Alixe MénardInterdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5509-8960
Myrna NormanNational dementia advocate and person living with dementia, Maple Ridge, BC, Canada.ORCID 0009-0004-8588-0162
Sheila BlackstockSchool of Nursing, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, V2C 0C8, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-9637-5488
Jim MannNational dementia advocate and person living with dementia, Surrey, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7048-7844
Wendy HulkoSchool of Social Work and Human Service, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7506-459X
Melba Sheila D'SouzaSchool of Nursing, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, V2C 0C8, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3156-0663
Sarah FraserInterdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4291-6298

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Dementia is one of Canada's most pressing public health challenges, with rates expected to surge in response to the country's aging population. Given the rapidly growing issue of dementia, understanding national research efforts is critical to prioritizing and advancing strategic directions in brain health and dementia research. Recently, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research awarded a 1-year funding grant from the Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging Research Initiative to map the scope of brain health and dementia research in Canada. Objective: This scoping review of reviews protocol aims to address this call by outlining the methodology that will be used for mapping the research landscape, documenting the knowledge gaps, and identifying areas of innovation to advance brain health and dementia research in Canada. Methods: Given the large volume of literature, a scoping review of Canadian-led reviews was selected as the most appropriate method because it would allow for a robust synthesis of nationally relevant research while mapping knowledge gaps and innovation. Our scoping review of reviews will follow the framework by Arksey and O'Malley along with the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. The search will focus on peer-reviewed literature reviews published between January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2025, to capture the current state of knowledge since the national dementia strategy's publication in 2019. This search will be conducted using 5 electronic databases: CINAHL, PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, and Web of Science. Our data extraction table will include the following categories: author, province, and year; aim; review timeline; method; theme; knowledge gaps; innovations; and findings. The data will be analyzed using a combination of deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Results: This protocol was registered on June 5, 2025, with the Open Science Framework. This study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research from November 2024 to November 2025. The anticipated timeline for the publication of the full scoping review of reviews is May 2026. The findings from this review will be shared through targeted knowledge mobilization activities such as presentations at national funding agency meetings, academic conferences, and community workshops. Conclusions: Our scoping review of reviews will provide a robust synthesis of the brain health and dementia research landscape, helping document critical knowledge gaps and identify areas for innovation. The results of this research will provide critical data to help inform strategic funding initiatives and future research directions. The findings from our scoping review will have implications for research funders, policymakers, community organizations, and researchers that are working to accelerate brain health and dementia research across Canada.

Indexed as

Biomedical ResearchBrainDementiaCanadaEvidence GapsHumansResearch DesignScoping Reviews as TopicAlzheimer diseaseCanadadementiapreventionquality of lifetreatment

Identifiers

PMID41686995
PMCPMC12904344

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.