journal articles
PSYCHIATRY MEETS NEURODEGENERATION – A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO DEMENTIA PREVENTION
Carolin Kurz, Martin Haupt, Stefanie Auer, Nicola Lautenschlager, Alexander Kurz
The advent of amyloid-targeting therapies and biomarker-based risk stratification has transformed the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. These conditions are now recognized as chronic, detectable and modifiable, often presenting decades before clinical symptoms appear. While this paradigm shift enables earlier intervention, it also raises ethical and psychological challenges that necessitate a redefined role for psychiatry. Instead of merely supporting late-stage care, psychiatry is well-placed to facilitate risk communication, promote resilience, and encourage adaptive behavior in individuals navigating preclinical or prodromal neurodegeneration. This article outlines an ethical, stepwise communication framework, clarifies the distinction between diagnosis and probabilistic risk, and explores psychiatric contributions—from motivational models to lifestyle-based prevention—that bridge the gap between biological insight and subjective experience. By reinterpreting risk as a chance for intervention rather than resignation, psychiatry broadens the therapeutic scope and helps safeguard independence, dignity and quality of life—making it a pivotal participant in dementia prevention and individualized, person-centered care.
CITATION:
Carolin Kurz ; Martin Haupt ; Stefanie Auer ; Nicola Lautenschlager ; Alexander Kurz (2025): Psychiatry meets neurodegeneration – A collaborative approach to dementia prevention. The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease (JPAD). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjpad.2025.100317