New report highlights top ten brain health breakthroughs for clinicians

"Understanding Breakthroughs in Brain Health: Top 10 Articles of 2025" - the latest "Top 10" report in the Gerontological Society of America's Insights & Implications in Gerontology series - presents a curated collection of the year's most impactful research on cognitive decline, dementia detection, and brain health across the lifespan, with a focus on actionable insights for primary care providers.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects approximately 7.2 million Americans aged 65 and older, representing roughly 11% of that population, and its prevalence is rising as the country ages. The economic toll is substantial: health and long-term care costs for people living with AD and other dementias reached an estimated $384 billion in 2025, with an additional $413 billion in care provided by roughly 12 million unpaid caregivers. Despite these staggering numbers, AD remains significantly underdiagnosed, particularly in its earliest, most treatable stages.

"Primary care is where most people with dementia are first diagnosed and where they receive most of their care", said Soo Borson, MD, co-lead of the BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Early Detection of Dementia and a professor at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, who served on the report's expert advisory panel. "This collection of research gives clinicians the evidence they need to act earlier, more confidently, and more effectively for their patients."

The report underscores the critical and expanding role of primary care providers in the early detection and management of cognitive decline. Research included in the report found that the average time from symptom onset to a dementia diagnosis is 3.5 years, a delay that can cost patients access to disease-modifying therapies and timely care planning. With only 8–11% of mild cognitive impairment cases identified early, and underdiagnosis disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic populations, the need for systematic change in primary care practice is made clear in the report.