Brain health measurement: a scoping review
Objectives Preservation of brain health is an urgent priority for the world’s ageing population. The evidence base for brain health optimisation strategies is rapidly expanding, but clear recommendations have been limited by heterogeneity in measurement of brain health outcomes. We performed a scopi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2024-02-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/2/e080334.full |
| _version_ | 1797271506117459968 |
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| author | Nia Roberts Reem Saleem Malouf Anya Topiwala Angeline Lee Suraj Shah Vidushi Pradhan Karyna Atha Peter Indoe Naira Mahmoud Guy Niblett |
| author_facet | Nia Roberts Reem Saleem Malouf Anya Topiwala Angeline Lee Suraj Shah Vidushi Pradhan Karyna Atha Peter Indoe Naira Mahmoud Guy Niblett |
| author_sort | Nia Roberts |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives Preservation of brain health is an urgent priority for the world’s ageing population. The evidence base for brain health optimisation strategies is rapidly expanding, but clear recommendations have been limited by heterogeneity in measurement of brain health outcomes. We performed a scoping review to systematically evaluate brain health measurement in the scientific literature to date, informing development of a core outcome set.Design Scoping review.Data sources Medline, APA PsycArticles and Embase were searched through until 25 January 2023.Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Studies were included if they described brain health evaluation methods in sufficient detail in human adults and were in English language.Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and full texts for inclusion and extracted data using Covidence software.Results From 6987 articles identified by the search, 727 studies met inclusion criteria. Study publication increased by 22 times in the last decade. Cohort study was the most common study design (n=609, 84%). 479 unique methods of measuring brain health were identified, comprising imaging, cognitive, mental health, biological and clinical categories. Seven of the top 10 most frequently used brain health measurement methods were imaging based, including structural imaging of grey matter and hippocampal volumes and white matter hyperintensities. Cognitive tests such as the trail making test accounted for 286 (59.7%) of all brain health measurement methods.Conclusions The scientific literature surrounding brain health has increased exponentially, yet measurement methods are highly heterogeneous across studies which may explain the lack of clinical translation. Future studies should aim to develop a selected group of measures that should be included in all brain health studies to aid interstudy comparison (core outcome set), and broaden from the current focus on neuroimaging outcomes to include a range of outcomes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:04:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0877fbd8771d4bfab7019b1b603e9c95 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:04:34Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-0877fbd8771d4bfab7019b1b603e9c952024-03-06T23:55:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552024-02-0114210.1136/bmjopen-2023-080334Brain health measurement: a scoping reviewNia Roberts0Reem Saleem Malouf1Anya Topiwala2Angeline Lee3Suraj Shah4Vidushi Pradhan5Karyna Atha6Peter Indoe7Naira Mahmoud8Guy Niblett9Bodleian Health Care Libraries, University of Oxford, Oxford, UKNuffield Department of Population Health, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Oxford, UKNuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UKNuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UKHealth Education England, London, UKHealth Education Thames Valley (HETV), Oxford, UKUniversity of Oxford, Oxford, UKHealth Education Thames Valley (HETV), Oxford, UKHealth Education Thames Valley (HETV), Oxford, UKHealth Education Thames Valley (HETV), Oxford, UKObjectives Preservation of brain health is an urgent priority for the world’s ageing population. The evidence base for brain health optimisation strategies is rapidly expanding, but clear recommendations have been limited by heterogeneity in measurement of brain health outcomes. We performed a scoping review to systematically evaluate brain health measurement in the scientific literature to date, informing development of a core outcome set.Design Scoping review.Data sources Medline, APA PsycArticles and Embase were searched through until 25 January 2023.Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Studies were included if they described brain health evaluation methods in sufficient detail in human adults and were in English language.Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and full texts for inclusion and extracted data using Covidence software.Results From 6987 articles identified by the search, 727 studies met inclusion criteria. Study publication increased by 22 times in the last decade. Cohort study was the most common study design (n=609, 84%). 479 unique methods of measuring brain health were identified, comprising imaging, cognitive, mental health, biological and clinical categories. Seven of the top 10 most frequently used brain health measurement methods were imaging based, including structural imaging of grey matter and hippocampal volumes and white matter hyperintensities. Cognitive tests such as the trail making test accounted for 286 (59.7%) of all brain health measurement methods.Conclusions The scientific literature surrounding brain health has increased exponentially, yet measurement methods are highly heterogeneous across studies which may explain the lack of clinical translation. Future studies should aim to develop a selected group of measures that should be included in all brain health studies to aid interstudy comparison (core outcome set), and broaden from the current focus on neuroimaging outcomes to include a range of outcomes.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/2/e080334.full |
| spellingShingle | Nia Roberts Reem Saleem Malouf Anya Topiwala Angeline Lee Suraj Shah Vidushi Pradhan Karyna Atha Peter Indoe Naira Mahmoud Guy Niblett Brain health measurement: a scoping review BMJ Open |
| title | Brain health measurement: a scoping review |
| title_full | Brain health measurement: a scoping review |
| title_fullStr | Brain health measurement: a scoping review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Brain health measurement: a scoping review |
| title_short | Brain health measurement: a scoping review |
| title_sort | brain health measurement a scoping review |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/2/e080334.full |
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