Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2025

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
Antibiotic Use and Subsequent Cognitive Decline and Dementia Risk in Healthy Older Adults
Yiqing Wang1, Zhen Zhou1, Jonathan C Broder1
1From the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit (Y.W., A.T.C.), and Division of Gastroenterology (Y.W., A.T.C.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (Z.Z., J.C.B., R.L.W., S.G.O., R.W., J.R.), Monash University, Melbourne; Menzies Institute for Medical Research (Z.Z.), University of Tasmania, Australia; Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (E.J.E.. M.E.E.), College of Pharmacy, and Department of Family Medicine (M.E.E.), Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City; Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases (A.T.C.), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston; and Cancer Center (A.T.C.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
Antibiotic use in older adults did not increase the risk of dementia or cognitive decline. This study found no link between antibiotic exposure and long-term cognitive health outcomes in initially healthy individuals.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Neurology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Antibiotics disrupt the gut microbiome, causing dysbiosis.
- Previous studies suggest a link between dysbiosis and cognitive function, but prospective data are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prospective association between antibiotic use and cognitive aging in healthy older adults.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from a prospective observational study of Australian older adults.
- Assessed antibiotic use via prescription records (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical code J01).
- Analyzed associations with cognitive decline, dementia, and cognitive impairment using linear mixed models and Cox proportional hazard models.
Main Results:
- Antibiotic use was not associated with increased risks of dementia or cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND).
- No significant associations were found with longitudinal changes in cognitive scores.
- Results remained consistent across various analyses, including cumulative use and specific antibiotic classes.
Conclusions:
- In initially healthy older adults, antibiotic use is not linked to incident dementia, CIND, or accelerated cognitive decline.
- The findings do not support a connection between antibiotic-induced gut microbiome disruption and dementia risk.
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Enhancers: Cholinesterase Inhibitors and NMDA Receptor Antagonists
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Dementia
The progression of dementia is generally gradual....
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ...
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...

