Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is not only a devastating disorder with a tremendous socio-economic burden, but its multicausal origin also makes it very difficult to treat or prevent.
In fact, since AD involves multiple biological levels of organization (ranging from intracellular to social scales), it is unlikely that we can sufficiently understand its heterogeneous etiology unless we take an inclusive and systemic approach.
In our new peer-reviewed work, sixteen experts summarized a range of AD risk factors in a causal loop diagram (CLD) using the group model building methodology. This CLD transcends traditional scientific disciplines and elucidates interaction and feedback mechanisms that contribute to cognitive decline.
Soon, we will use the CLD to develop system-level computational models for simulating the effects of interventions on common risk factors on AD. In this way, we hope to help develop valuable strategies in the fight against dementia.
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