Executive Summary of 2025 International Conference of the Korean Dementia Association and International Congress of the Asian Society Against Dementia (IC-KDA/ASAD 2025): A Report From the Academic Committee of the Korean Dementia Association.

Abstract

The International Conference of the Korean Dementia Association (IC-KDA) 2025 was held jointly with the 19th International Congress of the Asian Society Against Dementia (ASAD) in Seoul, South Korea (May 8-10, 2025), under the theme "Breaking Barriers of Dementia: From Research to Real-world Practice." The program opened with a Pre-Conference Symposium on "Dementia Treatment Update: Lecanemab and NPH" featuring 14 speakers, followed by the main meeting comprising 3 plenary sessions (5 speakers), 7 luncheon-symposium presentations, 16 parallel symposia (48 speakers), a special symposium (2 speakers), and 4 oral-presentation sessions (20 presenters). The congress was attended by 1,052 participants from 27 countries and included 213 poster presentations. Scientific highlights spanned the continuum from discovery to implementation: plasma and imaging biomarkers, retinal and electroencephalogram/voice-based digital biomarkers, and multimodal neuroimaging for risk stratification and outcome prediction; updates on anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies (MABs) (lecanemab, donanemab), safety/amyloid-related imaging abnormalities management, and real-world data frameworks; mechanistic and multi-omics insights (genetics, metabolomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics); neuroinflammation and glia-mediated pathways; young-onset dementia cohorts across Asia-Pacific; vascular cognitive impairment trials and pathophysiology; neuropsychiatric symptoms and evidence-based behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia care; lifestyle and multidomain prevention (Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay-based interventions); dementia-friendly communities and caregiver support; and emerging neuromodulation modalities (low-intensity ultrasound, photobiomodulation, vagus nerve stimulation). Together, the joint IC-KDA & ASAD 2025 meeting emphasized precision medicine and implementation science, bridging laboratory advances with clinical practice and health-system delivery to improve outcomes for people living with dementia and their caregivers.