The iceberg of dementia risk: empirical and conceptual arguments in favor of structural interventions for brain health

While pharmacological interventions for dementia struggle to demonstrate improved outcomes for patients and at-risk populations, non-pharmacological lifestyle interventions have been proposed as a tool to achieve dementia risk reduction. In this review, it is argued that lifestyle modification alone...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Timothy Daly
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-01-01
Series:Cerebral Circulation - Cognition and Behavior
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666245023000375
Description
Summary:While pharmacological interventions for dementia struggle to demonstrate improved outcomes for patients and at-risk populations, non-pharmacological lifestyle interventions have been proposed as a tool to achieve dementia risk reduction. In this review, it is argued that lifestyle modification alone is a surface-level intervention from the point of view of fair and far-reaching dementia prevention. Below the tip of this “iceberg of dementia risk,” there are living conditions and social structures that represent deeper contributions to risk in the population. It is argued that alongside lifestyle modification, activist research and structural interventions are needed to make our society fairer and more dementia-resilient.
ISSN:2666-2450