New research suggests that statins might slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients. A recent observational study doesn’t confirm a causal relationship, but it does propose potential benefits for some dementia patients. Future research aims to identify specific patient groups that might benefit from this treatment.Research from the Karolinska Institute, published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy, suggests that statins, which reduce blood fat, might slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in certain patients. However, the study’s authors view these findings as preliminary and part of an ongoing research effort to eventually yield conclusive answers.A recent study indicates that individuals with Alzheimer’s dementia experienced slower cognitive decline when treated with a lipid-lowering statin compared to those who were not treated. Despite this, the study, being observational in nature, cannot definitively establish a causal relationship due to its comparison of patient registry data. As a result, the researchers are approaching their interpretations with caution.The leader of the research, Sara Garcia-Ptacek, who is a docent of neuroscience and assistant professor at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, underlines the importance of safety, as statins were initially thought to induce confusion in dementia patients. Consequently, there has been some resistance to prescribing statins to these patients.Details of the Study and Preexisting ConcernsThe study analyzed data from over 15,500 dementia patients with a need for lipid-lowering treatment, with nearly 11,000 of them receiving statin treatment. Overall, the patients on statins showed slightly better cognitive test results, despite being more likely to have diagnoses such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, all of which are risk factors for dementia.Sara Garcia-Ptacek explains that the research team started with a hypothesis that statins could slow the progression of dementia and broadened their scope to see if they could find supporting evidence for this. The primary aim of this study was to lay the groundwork for a more focused cohort study that could eventually lead to a clinical intervention study, which is crucial for proving a causal link between statins and cognition.The concept that statins could impact the risk or progression of dementia is not new, and there have been previous clinical studies in this field, all of which have yielded negative results. According to Sara Garcia-Ptacek, the researchers believe that only specific groups of patients with Alzheimer’s dementia may benefit from statins, and the previous clinical trials were too small to demonstrate significant differences. Their idea is to pinpoint which patient groups benefit the most and why, before proceeding with clinical trials.Reference: “Statins and cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s and mixed dementia: a longitudinal registry-based cohort study” by Bojana Petek, Henrike Häbel, Hong Xu, Marta Villa-Lopez, Irena Kalar, Minh Tuan Hoang, Silvia Maioli, Joana B. Pereira, Shayan Mostafaei, Bengt Winblad, Milica Gregoric Kramberger, Maria Eriksdotter and Sara Garcia-Ptacek, 20 December 2023, Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy.
DOI: 10.1186/s13195-023-01360-0The research was funded by Region Stockholm, the Swedish Research Council, and the Dementia and Margareta af Ugglas Foundation.
