Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Neurodegenerative Disorders
• Clinical Neurology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Clinical trials for anti-amyloid therapies (AATs) do not fully represent real-world patient experiences.
• The Advanced Therapy in Neurodegenerative Disorders (ATND) Clinic offers a unique setting to study AAT utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the characteristics and utilization of AATs, specifically lecanemab, at the ATND Clinic.
• To analyze patient demographics, diagnostic methods, and outcomes related to lecanemab treatment.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of electronic medical records from the ATND Clinic (April 2024 - January 2025).
• Data collected included patient demographics, diagnostic assessments (MRI, lumbar puncture, PET), lecanemab use, and Amyloid Related Imaging Abnormalities (ARIA).

Main Results:

• 96 patients were evaluated; 19.8% were receiving lecanemab infusions, while 28.1% declined treatment.
• Common reasons for declining lecanemab included homozygous APOE4 status (37.0%) and concerns about efficacy and treatment burden.
• Two patients experienced ARIA; average infusions were 12.2 over 10 months.

Conclusions:

• The ATND Clinic provides valuable real-world data on AAT experience.
• Expanding dementia specialist capacity is crucial for enhancing patient access to AAT evaluation and management.