Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41366831›Full record

ArticleAlzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association2025

Clinical definition, biological characterization, and detection guidelines of subjective cognitive decline due to Alzheimer's disease and related dementia: A position paper from ISTAART SCD PIA.

Davide Vito Moretti, Elizabeth Kuhn, Mark A Dubbelmann, Sietske A M Sikkes, Raphael Machado Castilhos, Silvia Chapman, Katie A Gifford, Elke Butterbrod, Rachel L Nosheny, Subjective Cognitive Decline Professional Interest Area, Alzheimer's Association ISTAART

Abstract readConsensus Statement
In one paragraph

Article in Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. The association of self- and interviewer-reported cognitive problems with frailty progression and subsequent all-cause mortality risk: a large-scale cohort study.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Davide Vito MorettiIRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli Alzheimer Rehabilitation Operative Unit via Pilastroni 4, Brescia, Italy.
Elizabeth KuhnGerman Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Mark A DubbelmannCenter for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Sietske A M SikkesDepartment of Clinical, Faculty of Movement and Behavioral Sciences, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Raphael Machado CastilhosCognitive and Behavioral Neurology Center, Neurology Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Silvia ChapmanCognitive Neuroscience Division, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
Katie A GiffordDepartment of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Elke ButterbrodDepartment of Clinical, Faculty of Movement and Behavioral Sciences, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Rachel L NoshenyDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA.
Subjective Cognitive Decline Professional Interest Area, Alzheimer's Association ISTAART

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD)-self-perceived cognitive worsening without objective deficits-has emerged as a clinically meaningful, potential early manifestation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Positioned at the intersection of normal aging, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and preclinical neurodegeneration, SCD offers a unique window for early detection and intervention. However, detection heterogeneity, variable prognostic trajectories, and limited equity in assessment hinder its full clinical utility. This position paper synthesizes current evidence on SCD's diagnostic complexity, neurobiological underpinnings, and modifiable influences. We highlight the need for harmonized assessment frameworks, scalable digital tools, inclusive research, and ethically grounded biomarker disclosure practices. Importantly, we advocate for personalized, (non-)pharmacological interventions targeting this early phase. By refining the conceptualization and operationalization of SCD, we can better identify individuals at heightened AD risk and deliver timely, equitable, and meaningful prevention strategies. SCD represents a pivotal inflection point in the dementia continuum-and a call to shift toward proactive brain health. HIGHLIGHTS: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may signal early-stage Alzheimer's despite normal test performance. Diagnostic heterogeneity limits current clinical and research utility. Biomarkers and digital tools could enhance risk stratification in SCD. Mental health and social context shape symptom reporting and outcomes. SCD offers a window for tailored (non-drug) preventive interventions.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCognitive DysfunctionBiomarkersHumansNeuropsychological TestsBiomarkersAlzheimer's disease (AD)biomarkerscognitive declinediagnostic toolsmood disturbancessubjective cognitive decline (SCD)treatment strategies

Identifiers

PMID41366831
PMCPMC12689466

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.