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The impact of acute and chronic medical disorders on accelerated cognitive decline

Edited by Carol Brayne and Daniel Davis

It is increasingly recognised that cognitive decline can be precipitated by acute events, such as delirium, surgery or intensive care unit admission. Moreover, cognitive impairment is observed in connection with many chronic systemic disorders, such as heart failure and diabetes. This special series, published in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, explores how acute and chronic systemic illness might lead to permanent decrements in cognition, and addresses how processes outside the brain might interact, influence and affect the pathophysiology of cognitive decline and dementia.

This series of articles has not been sponsored. All articles have undergone the journal’s standard peer review process overseen by the Series Editors, with final decisions made by the Editors-in-Chief. The Series Editors and Editors-in-Chief declare no competing interests.

  1. Aging occurs as a series of small steps, first causing cellular damage and then affecting tissues and organs. This is also true in the brain. Frailty, a state of increased risk due to accelerated deficit accum...

    Authors: Samuel D. Searle and Kenneth Rockwood
    Citation: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy 2015 7:54
  2. Older people with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of developing cognitive impairment, for which several potential risk factors have been proposed. The present article reviews evidence in people with type...

    Authors: Insa Feinkohl, Jackie F. Price, Mark W.J. Strachan and Brian M. Frier
    Citation: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy 2015 7:46
  3. Dementia prevalence increases with age and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) accounts for up to 75% of cases. However, significant variability and overlap exists in the extent of amyloid-β and Tau pathology in AD and n...

    Authors: Colm Cunningham and Edel Hennessy
    Citation: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy 2015 7:33
  4. Dementia is a substantial and increasing public health concern. Despite decades of research, a cure or effective preventative treatment for dementia remains elusive. We offer critical review of contemporary de...

    Authors: Craig W Ritchie, Graciela Muniz Terrera and Terence J Quinn
    Citation: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy 2015 7:31
  5. The clinical syndrome of heart failure is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation and mortality in older adults. An association between cognitive impairment and heart failure is well described but our und...

    Authors: Jane A Cannon, John JV McMurray and Terry J Quinn
    Citation: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy 2015 7:22