The PREVENT Dementia Programme has a number of publications which have been published across a range of peer reviewed journals and can be accessed through the links in the categories below.
Imaging -
View all [28]
Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2025)
DOI: 10.1002/alz.70244
Summary
Sleep problems are common in people with dementia and often start years before the diagnosis. However, it is not known to what extent these sleep problems are caused by early changes in the brain areas involved in controlling sleep. In this study we used data from sleep questionnaires and MRI brain scans in the PREVENT and ALFA cohorts, which are both large studies of middle-aged participants without dementia. We found that participants with an increased genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease (APOE4 gene carriers) had early changes in the hypothalamus, a brain region which is essential for sleeping well. These participants also had more sleep problems. Finally, we found that sleep problems increased with older age, but only in participants with a smaller hypothalamus. These results suggest that early changes in the hypothalamus may partially explain the relationship between sleep problems and the increased risk of dementia.
Cognition -
View all [10]
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2024)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2024.1509223
Summary
Allostatic Load (AL) is a way to describe the damage to your body that happens when you are constantly stressed for a long time. This study looked at how different types of stress over your life, as well as having a healthy lifestyle, can affect Allostatic Load.
The researchers studied information from 620 people who were part of the PREVENT dementia program. They found that doing sports and having a healthy diet directly helped reduce Allostatic Load. They also found that playing sports could help a person handle stress better, but sleep was really important for this to work. Both stress and how well you deal with it affected sleep, which in turn played a big role in how Allostatic Load changed. Using healthy habits, like eating well and getting good sleep, to manage stress is likely to be good for our health.
Other -
View all [12]
BMJ Mental Health (2025)
Summary
This study explored mental health conditions in individuals who have experienced physical abuse in intimate relationships in the past. Up to 30% of women worldwide experience IPV, and this often involves blows to the head which can lead to traumatic brain injuries (TBI). TBI can increase the risk of mental health conditions and dementia. Survivors of physical abuse had higher rates of mental health issues. Compared to those without a history of physical abuse, survivors were more likely to experience depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even decades after the abuse had ended. TBI made mental health problems worse, among survivors, those with a history of TBI were more likely to have PTSD or several ongoing mental health issues in mid-life.
These findings highlight the need for long-term mental health support for survivors, even decades after the abuse ended. They also suggest that healthcare professionals should assess head injuries when treating survivors, as TBI could contribute to worsening mental health in both the short and long term.
