cognitive decline - Page 1 | CARLAT PUBLISHING

Research Update

Stimulating the Precuneus May Slow Alzheimer’s Decline

February 23, 2026

Research Update Edited by Carlat Staff

Can brain stimulation help preserve function in Alzheimer’s disease? A year-long randomized trial suggests that PC- rTMS modestly slows cognitive and functional decline, offering a potential nonpharmacologic adjunct as clinicians seek alternatives to long-term medication burden.

Research Update

Are We Missing a Potentially Reversible Contributor to Cognitive Impairment?

January 1, 2026

Susan L. Siegfreid, MD

Susan L. Siegfreid, MD. Dr. Siegfreid has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Could that “dementia” be liver-related and reversible? A large VA study reveals how often cirrhosis goes undiagnosed in older adults with cognitive decline and why checking a simple fibrosis score might change your diagnosis and your treatment plan.

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Expert Q&A

Metabolic Approaches to Mental Health and Cognitive Decline

October 1, 2025

Christopher Palmer, MD

Christopher Palmer, MD
Founder and President, MH²; Founder and Director, Metabolic and Mental Health Program, McLean Hospital; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA.

Dr. Palmer has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Can better metabolism improve brain health? Dr. Palmer explains how diet, insulin resistance, and mitochondrial function affect mental illness and why the ketogenic and MIND diets may support cognitive resilience in aging.

Expert Q&A

Pharmacotherapy for Dementia

March 1, 2025

Stephanie Collier, MD

Director of Education in the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at McLean Hospital and an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Geriatric Psychiatry Report.

Dr. Collier has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

We have three newly approved meds for dementia. Brexpiprazole (Rexulti) for agitation, and donanemab (Kisunla) and lecanemab (Leqembi) for the core features of Alzheimer’s. Dr. Collier explains why none of these are first-line.

Research Update

Moderate Alcohol Use and Cognitive Decline

October 1, 2024

Kathryn Martin, MD, MPH

Kathryn Kieran, MSN, PMHNP-BC. Ms. Kieran has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

For years, moderate drinking was seen as harmless or even beneficial. This study challenges that, revealing how even modest alcohol consumption can raise brain iron levels and impair cognitive function.

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COMMENTARY

Insights About a Rare Transmissible Form of Alzheimer's Disease

February 9, 2024

Rehan Aziz, MD

Researchers found a connection between Alzheimer's disease and the use of contaminated growth hormone from human cadavers, highlighting the importance of understanding Alzheimer's pathology for better treatment development.

Research Update

Large Longitudinal Study Links Mild Depression and Dementia

January 1, 2024

Kathryn Kieran, MSN, PMHNP-BC

Kathryn Kieran, MSN, PMHNP-BC. Ms. Kieran has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

This study showed a dose-response relationship between depression severity and cognitive decline.

Research Update

Can Physical Activity Offset Cognitive Decline?

July 11, 2023

Susan L. Siegfreid, MD

Susan L. Siegfreid, MD. Dr. Siegfreid has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Physical activity may slow cognitive decline, especially in older adults with biomarkers of neurodegeneration.

Bipolar Treatment Upgrade Part I

July 10, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

Updates from the 2023 International Bipolar Conference, including new diagnostic tools for bipolar disorder. Stanford researchers propose a new subtype of depression.

CLINICAL UPDATE

Low-Dose Lithium to Delay Dementia?

September 1, 2022

Jim Phelps, MD

James Phelps, MD. Psychiatrist Emeritus, Samaritan Mental Health, Corvallis, OR. Medical Director, PsychEducation.org. Dr. Phelps, author of this educational activity, has no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Current medications for dementia do little more than temporarily slow the cognitive decline, but new evidence suggests that tiny doses of lithium can significantly delay the onset.