Devine, J., et al. Infection, vaccination and risk of dementia: a proposed immunological model. Front Immuno, 2026 Mar 4, 17:1748535, PMID: 41859113

•  This paper emphasizes the growing global burden of dementia, particularly
  Alzheimer's disease, which is predicted to nearly double by 2050 due to aging
  populations worldwide. It highlights emerging evidence linking infectious agents,
  such as herpesviruses, flaviviruses, and SARS-CoV-2, to increased dementia risk,
  suggesting a potential infectious etiology. Importantly, epidemiological data indicates
  that certain vaccinations, notably BCG and AS01-adjuvanted vaccines, are
  associated with reduced dementia incidence. Understanding the immunological
  mechanisms behind this association, particularly the role of trained innate immunity,
  could open new avenues for dementia prevention and therapy, underscoring the
  significance of exploring vaccines not only for infectious disease control but also for
  neurodegenerative disease modulation.
•  The main conclusions of the paper are that immune responses related to infections
  and vaccinations have complex and possibly opposing effects on dementia risk. It
  advocates for considering immune system modulation, both reducing harmful
  inflammation from infections and harnessing protective effects of vaccines, as a
  plausible approach to influence dementia risk.
•  Comment from DK: Given the evidence that the AS01b adjuvanted vaccines can
  reduce the risk of dementia, it would be prudent to investigate whether other AS01
  contribute adjuvants also confer similar protective effects. Testing a broader range of
  vaccines with saponin-containing adjuvants could help determine whether this
  adjuvant system universally contributes to dementia risk reduction and potentially
  inform the development of targeted immunization strategies for Alzheimer's disease
  and other dementias.

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