Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Press Kit
NIA, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducts and supports basic, clinical, and social and behavioral research on aging and the special problems and needs of older people. NIA is the lead federal agency for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research.
This toolkit features NIA-funded dementia research news and resources. Browse the sections below to learn more about:
Have questions? Visit the Media Frequently Asked Questions page.
Research progress and discoveries
More than a decade of increased public funding for Alzheimer’s and related dementias research has led to significant progress in developing and testing new ways to study, diagnose, prevent, and treat these diseases. To sustain this momentum, NIA continues to conduct and fund new projects to better understand dementia and to develop innovative drugs that target these specific disease processes. Recent developments include:
- The first amyloid blood test for Alzheimer’s, called PrecivityAD™, is now available to many doctors. Developed in part with NIA funding, the blood test performs comparably to more invasive spinal tap-based tests.
- Approval of Leqembi (lecanemab-irmb) and promising clinical trial results of donanemab for the treatment of Alzheimer’s. Although NIA did not fund these studies, the institute’s funding was integral in understanding the role of amyloid, the protein targeted by these anti-amyloid therapies. Additionally, the industry trials hinged on the use of amyloid PET (positron emission tomography) imaging, a technology developed with NIH-funded research.
- Advanced brain imaging. In addition to amyloid PET scans, there is now an FDA-approved diagnostic agent to detect tau tangles in the brain via PET scans. This development marked a major technological advance in biomarker tests for Alzheimer’s, enabling scientists to view the living brain and study the development and spread of abnormal amyloid and tau proteins.
- Better understanding of the genetics of Alzheimer’s and related dementias, including rare gene variants that may help protect against Alzheimer’s and genes involved in Lewy body dementia.
- Increased understanding of the link between the gut microbiome and Alzheimer’s, such as by promoting inflammation or even possibly seeding amyloid plaque formation. To learn about the dynamic role of the gut microbiome in the different stages of Alzheimer’s, NIA is funding the Alzheimer’s Gut Microbiome Project.
Quotes for attribution
Contact the NIA press team or call 301-496-1752 for an interview with these and other experts.
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“Progress in Alzheimer’s and related dementias research has been tremendous, and the momentum continues to grow.” — Richard J. Hodes, M.D., director, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health
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“Striving for health equity, we must understand the lifelong health impact of different social experiences, environmental contexts, and personal backgrounds. Applying this knowledge will in turn help improve health outcomes and the quality of patient care for those affected by structural inequities.” — Amy Kelley, M.D., deputy director, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health
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“We are studying Alzheimer’s and related dementias from all angles — the scope is broader and more comprehensive than ever. Scientists have made substantial advances in this research, thanks to significant federal funding increases to NIH, and we continue to build on the momentum.” — Eliezer Masliah, M.D., director, NIA Division of Neuroscience
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“We know there is an acute need, so we continue to fund research that addresses the care needs and promotes the health, function, and well-being of persons living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias and their caregivers, with an emphasis on improved rigor and real-world applicability across broad and diverse populations.” — Lisbeth Nielsen, Ph.D., director, NIA Division of Behavioral and Social Research
Additional resources on Alzheimer’s and related dementias
- Recent news on Alzheimer’s and other dementias
- How Is Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosed?
- How Biomarkers Help Diagnose Dementia
- How Is Alzheimer’s Disease Treated?
- What Do We Know About Diet and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease?
- Can I Prevent Dementia?
- 8 Frequently Asked Questions about Alzheimer’s Disease
- Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet
Browse more resources and health information on Alzheimer’s and related dementias via Alzheimers.gov (also available in Spanish) and the NIA website (also available in Spanish).
Clinical trials
Over the past decade, NIA funding has enabled the development and testing of 18 new dementia drug candidates in clinical trials, with two more ready to enter trials. Scientists continue to identify potential new ways to help diagnose, treat, and prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias, and such progress would not be possible without those who have participated in clinical trials and studies. NIA’s clinical trials portfolio includes but is not limited to the following:
- Funding more than 450 active Alzheimer’s and related dementias prevention, treatment, and caregiving clinical trials. Of these, more than 200 are testing interventions for effective prevention and treatment of these diseases, and others are testing dementia care and caregiving interventions.
- Funding 33 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) at major medical institutions across the United States. In addition, NIA funds four Exploratory ADRCs designed to further expand and diversify research and education opportunities.
- Drug repurposing trials — testing drugs that are already FDA-approved to treat other diseases — to treat Alzheimer’s and related dementias, such as the Metformin in Alzheimer’s dementia Prevention (MAP) study. The phase 3 clinical trial is expected to be completed in 2026.
- Alzheimer’s & Dementia Outreach, Recruitment, & Engagement (ADORE) Resources, NIA’s web-based, searchable collection of tools and resources that supports the recruitment and retention of participants into clinical trials and studies on Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
- NIA’s Outreach Pro, an innovative online research tool to help increase participation by traditionally underrepresented populations in clinical trials and studies on Alzheimer’s and related dementias. It is an integral part of NIA’s implementation of the National Strategy for Recruitment and Participation in Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Clinical Research.
- NIA’s Alzheimer’s and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center, which provides current, comprehensive, unbiased sources on Alzheimer’s and related dementias. This includes answering questions around participation in clinical trials. Learn more and find a clinical trial near you.
Learn more about NIA’s efforts to recruit a broad range of diverse participants into clinical trials and studies.
Quotes for attribution
Contact the NIA press team or call 301-496-1752 for an interview with these and other experts.
- “NIA has hundreds of Alzheimer’s and related dementias clinical trials underway. None of these would be possible without people who volunteer to participate in these trials. We are deeply grateful to them, and we hope even more will consider joining an Alzheimer’s and related dementias study.” — Laurie M. Ryan, Ph.D., NIA Division of Neuroscience
- “It is critically important that all clinical research reflects the diversity of the population. For Alzheimer’s and related dementias research, we must have appropriate representation of a wide range of communities to ensure that we have a complete understanding of how well different strategies work across different populations.” — Nina Silverberg, Ph.D., NIA Division of Neuroscience
Additional resources on Alzheimer’s and related dementias clinical trials
- Participating in Alzheimer’s Disease Research
- NIA IMPACT Collaboratory, which tests interventions to improve care of people with dementia in real-world settings.
Funding and budget
Annually, NIA prepares a Congressional Budget Justification to provide Senate and House Appropriations Committees with funding estimates and details about our research and related initiatives. View NIA's latest Congressional Budget Justification.
Additionally, a congressional mandate requires that NIH annually submit to the President and then Congress a Professional Judgment Budget that estimates additional funding needed above the base for Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Additional NIA budget and funding information
- NIA Budget & Testimony
- Bypass Budget Proposal Archive
- NIH research funds allocated to Alzheimer’s and related dementias
Multimedia
This section includes scientific images, infographics, and videos on Alzheimer’s and related dementias research. Permission is not required to use NIA-produced materials: As a federal government agency, our content is in the public domain.
When you use our materials in print, on websites, in social media, or in a video or audio format, we request that you include a credit such as “Video/Image courtesy of the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health.”
Please note that some NIA webpages incorporate stock images that are not licensed for public use and must be licensed separately.
If you have questions, contact NIAPressTeam@mail.nih.gov or call 301-496-1752. Learn more about NIA’s copyright and trademark information.
Scientific images
Explore examples of scientific images depicting Alzheimer’s in the brain from NIA:
Infographics
NIA provides infographics to help tell the visual story of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Videos
NIA offers videos (some available in Spanish), including the following options, about our research and other health-related information. All videos are available to download or embed on a webpage.
You may also be interested in NIA’s Aging and Alzheimer’s Resources and Multimedia for more materials about aging, Alzheimer’s and other topics important to older adults.