FROM THE ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2025: U.S. POINTER STUDY SHOWS STRUCTURED LIFESTYLE PROGRAM TARGETING MULTIPLE RISK FACTORS IMPROVES COGNITION IN OLDER ADULTS AT RISK OF COGNITIVE DECLINE

Key Takeaways

• Two life-style interventions in U.S. POINTER improved cognition in older adults liable to cognitive decline. A structured intervention with extra help and accountability confirmed larger enchancment in comparison with a self-guided intervention.
• In a big, consultant group of older adults at excessive danger for cognitive decline, multidomain life-style interventions have been delivered with excessive adherence and security.
• Cognitive advantages have been constant throughout age, intercourse, ethnicity, coronary heart well being standing and apolipoprotein E-e4 genotype.

TORONTO, July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Alzheimer’s Association U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER) — a two-year, multi-site scientific trial testing two completely different life-style interventions in a consultant inhabitants of older adults in danger for cognitive decline and dementia — discovered that each interventions improved cognition in older adults liable to cognitive decline. Trial contributors within the structured (STR) intervention confirmed larger enchancment on international cognition in comparison with the self-guided (SG) intervention, defending cognition from regular age-related decline for as much as two years. The STR intervention differed from the SG intervention in depth, construction, accountability and help offered.

The outcomes have been reported for the primary time immediately on the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2025 in Toronto and on-line. “Effects Of Structured vs Self-Guided Multidomain Lifestyle Interventions for Global Cognitive Function: The U.S. POINTER Randomized Clinical Trial,” was revealed in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) concurrently with the report at AAIC 2025.

U.S. POINTER is the primary large-scale, randomized managed scientific trial to reveal that an accessible and sustainable wholesome life-style intervention can defend cognitive perform in various populations in communities throughout the United States.

“As the burden of dementia grows world-wide, U.S. POINTER affirms a vital public health message: healthy behavior has a powerful impact on brain health,” mentioned Joanne Pike, DrPH, Alzheimer’s Association president and CEO.

“This is a critical public health opportunity. The intervention was effective across a broad, representative group — regardless of sex, ethnicity, APOE genetic risk, or heart health status — demonstrating its applicability and scalability for communities across the country,” mentioned Pike. “The positive results of U.S. POINTER encourage us to look at the potential for a combination of a lifestyle program and drug treatment as the next frontier in our fight against cognitive decline and possibly dementia.”

U.S. POINTER management acknowledges contributors, their members of the family and research website workers for his or her distinctive and important contributions: “You helped change what we know about brain health. Thanks to your dedication, time and support, U.S. POINTER delivered groundbreaking results. Your children, grandchildren and generations to come will benefit from the commitment you made.”

Both interventions targeted on bodily train, vitamin, cognitive problem and social engagement, and coronary heart well being monitoring, however differed in depth, construction, accountability and help offered.

• Structured life-style intervention. Participants attended 38 facilitated peer staff conferences over two years, and have been supplied with a prescribed exercise program with measurable objectives for: cardio, resistance and stretching train; adherence to the MIND weight loss plan; cognitive problem by BrainHQ coaching and different mental and social actions; and common assessment of well being metrics and goal-setting with a research clinician.
• Self-guided life-style intervention. Participants attended six peer staff conferences to encourage self-selected life-style adjustments that greatest match their wants and schedules. Study workers offered common encouragement with out goal-directed teaching.

“The potential to improve cognition with fewer resources and lower participant burden is compelling. It highlights that while not everyone has the same access or ability to adhere to more intensive behavior interventions, even modest changes may protect the brain,” mentioned Laura D. Baker, Ph.D., Professor of Gerontology and Geriatrics, and Internal Medicine, at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Advocate Health, and U.S. POINTER principal investigator.

“These are the initial results. Over the coming weeks and months, study leadership will be exploring all of the data collected in the trial to paint an even more comprehensive picture of the U.S. POINTER intervention effects on brain health,” Baker mentioned.

People with cognitive decline and dementia typically have quite a lot of damaging adjustments of their mind. This means efficient therapy will probably require a multi-pronged or mixture technique to handle a number of illness mechanisms.

“Complex diseases like heart disease and cancer use combination treatment strategies tailored to individual characteristics. The next generation of treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s will likely integrate drug and non-drug strategies. U.S. POINTER provides a strong foundation for such combination approaches,” mentioned Heather M. Snyder, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association research major investigator and senior vice chairman of medical and scientific relations.

“While these results are fascinating and extremely hopeful, how they are rolled out to the public — especially those at risk for Alzheimer’s and other diseases that cause dementia — needs to be handled with care and individual attention to tailor to the local environment,” mentioned Snyder.

The Alzheimer’s Association has invested practically $50 million to steer this research to this point, with extra help from the National Institute on Aging on the National Institutes of Health for add-on research exploring imaging, vascular measures, sleep and intestine microbiome-related well being information. In addition to its investments to this point, the Alzheimer’s Association will make investments greater than $40 million over the following 4 years to proceed to comply with U.S. POINTER contributors, and to deliver U.S. POINTER interventions to communities throughout America.

U.S. POINTER is a part 3, five-site, two-year, single-blind randomized scientific trial of two life-style interventions in older adults in danger for dementia. U.S. POINTER was developed to evaluate whether or not the outcomes of the FINGER research [Lancet, 6-6-15] generalize to a bigger, extra various U.S. inhabitants in danger for cognitive decline and dementia, utilizing culturally tailored protocols. The major goal was to check the consequences of two multimodal life-style interventions on international cognitive perform in 2,000+ at-risk older adults. Secondary goals assessed intervention results on particular cognitive domains, and potential variations based mostly on baseline cognition, intercourse, age, APOE-e4 genotype, and cardiovascular danger.

The research was carried out at 5 geographically dispersed U.S. educational facilities and well being care methods in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association. Participant eligibility standards have been designed to complement the danger of cognitive decline and included older age (60-79 years), sedentary life-style, suboptimal weight loss plan and cardiometabolic well being, and household historical past of reminiscence impairment. 2,111 contributors have been enrolled and randomized to STR (n=1,056) or SG (n=1,055). Mean age was 68.2 years, 68.9% have been feminine, 30.8% have been from ethnoracial minority teams. Seventy-eight % (78%) reported a first-degree household historical past of reminiscence loss, and 30% have been APOE-e4 carriers. Retention was excessive, with 89% finishing the ultimate 2 12 months evaluation.

At two years, there was a statistically vital intervention group distinction on the first end result. Global cognitive composite scores (major end result) elevated over time in each teams however the enchancment over time was statistically vital for a larger profit for the STR versus SG: 0.029 SD per 12 months (95% CI, 0.008-0.050, P=0.008). For secondary outcomes, the rise in govt perform z-score was larger in STR than SG by 0.037 SD per 12 months (95% CI, 0.010-0.064). Processing velocity confirmed an analogous pattern however was not statistically vital. There have been no group variations in reminiscence.

Looking forward, the Association will construct on the momentum of U.S. POINTER by launching a number of applications and initiatives, together with:

• A private mind well being evaluation instrument.
• A digital mind well being coaching program for well being care suppliers.
• A neighborhood recognition program for organizations championing mind well being.
• A mind well being roundtable that may unite leaders throughout well being care, public well being, neighborhood and company sectors to speed up influence.

About AAIC
AAIC is the world’s largest gathering of researchers from all over the world targeted on Alzheimer’s and different ailments that trigger dementia. As part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s analysis program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for producing new information about dementia and fostering an important, collegial analysis neighborhood.
AAIC 2025: alz.org/aaic
AAIC 2025 newsroom: alz.org/aaic/pressroom.asp
AAIC 2025 hashtag: #AAIC25

About the Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary well being group devoted to Alzheimer’s care, help and analysis. Our mission is to paved the way to finish Alzheimer’s and all different dementia — by accelerating international analysis, driving danger discount and early detection, and maximizing high quality care and help. Our imaginative and prescient is a world with out Alzheimer’s and all different dementia®. Visit alz.org or name +1 800.272.3900.