The Nun Study: Insights from 30 years of aging and dementia research

IF 13 1区医学 Q1 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY

Alzheimer's & Dementia Pub Date : 2025-02-25 DOI:10.1002/alz.14626

Kyra M. Clarke, Shahroo Etemadmoghadam, Benjamin Danner, Cole Corbett, Ali Ghaseminejad-Bandpey, Matthew Dopler, Julie Parker-Garza, Mohammad Alhneif, Sahana Babu, Oluwaseun B. Ogunbona, Angelique D. Gonzalez, Arash Salardini, Margaret E. Flanagan

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Abstract

The Nun Study is an iconic longitudinal study of aging and dementia on a cohort of 678 Catholic nuns from the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Participants consented to undergoing annual neuropsychological assessments, allowing researchers access to convent archives and medical records and post mortem brain donation. This study investigated the associations between epidemiological factors, cognitive function, and brain pathology. By examining published literature that reports on or utilizes Nun Study data, we provide an overview of its methodology and key findings, emphasizing its significant contributions to understanding cognitive impairment and related neuropathologies. Seminal findings on early-life factors affecting cognitive health, clinicopathological correlations, and apparent resistance and resilience to neuropathology are discussed. Decades of Nun Study research have made critical contributions to our understanding of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and highlight continuing objectives for future research.

Highlights

The uniform lifestyles of participants minimized potential confounds of the study.
Early-life cognitive ability influenced late-life cognitive outcomes.
Some participants with AD pathology did not exhibit dementia.
Neuropathological comorbidities were common and increased the risk of dementia.

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来源期刊

Alzheimer's & Dementia 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

14.50

自引率

5.00%

发文量

299

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Alzheimer's & Dementia is a peer-reviewed journal that aims to bridge knowledge gaps in dementia research by covering the entire spectrum, from basic science to clinical trials to social and behavioral investigations. It provides a platform for rapid communication of new findings and ideas, optimal translation of research into practical applications, increasing knowledge across diverse disciplines for early detection, diagnosis, and intervention, and identifying promising new research directions. In July 2008, Alzheimer's & Dementia was accepted for indexing by MEDLINE, recognizing its scientific merit and contribution to Alzheimer's research.