Alzheimer's & Dementia Archive

The vast majority of older adults would want to know if they’re in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and would want a blood test to learn for certain, according to a 2025 poll. Advances in testing and treatment may fuel this desire for knowledge. There are pros and cons to knowing this information. People with an early Alzheimer’s diagnosis can plan ahead, seek support, and may feel motivated to maintain their health. But the diagnosis may jeopardize their job or insurance coverage, as well as trigger anxiety or depression.

In May 2025, the FDA approved the first blood test to detect the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The test looks for several proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. About 80% of the time, the blood test is either highly positive or highly negative, a result that’s accurate more than 90% of the time. Doctors expect that the test will soon be covered by insurance. If that happens, the test will become the standard of care for people ages 55 and older with Alzheimer’s signs or symptoms.

There are currently nine trials of vaccines for Alzheimer’s disease under way. All of them are in people with mild Alzheimer’s or with the pre-Alzheimer’s condition called mild cognitive impairment. All of the vaccines are designed to encourage the immune system to remove protein deposits from the brain. Most experimental vaccines are given by injection; one being tested at Harvard Medical School uses a nasal spray. It will be several years before we know if any of them will work.

A 2025 study suggested that getting the shingles vaccine can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing dementia, especially among women.

A 2025 study found that the shingles vaccine reduced the risk of developing dementia by 20%. The study supports (but doesn’t absolutely prove) the theory that infections may be one cause of Alzheimer’s disease and possibly other forms of dementia.

Doctors are optimistic that artificial intelligence (A.I.) will one day play a role in curing and preventing Alzheimer’s disease. One example of A.I.’s application is its use in helping scientists learn how certain molecules might cause Alzheimer’s.

Researchers have found that the risk of death due to Alzheimer's disease is markedly lower in taxi and ambulance drivers compared with hundreds of other occupations. And the reason could be that these drivers develop certain structural changes in their brains as they work.

It's fairly common for a medical treatment to cause side effects — but far more rarely, a side effect provides an unexpected benefit. This might be the case for the shingles vaccine, as evidence is mounting that it might also reduce the risk of dementia.