Evaluating the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists on cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia. At present, some drug and non-drug therapies can be used to slow disease progression or prevent cognitive deterioration. More treatment options still need to be explored. Objectives. A meta-analysis was performed to compile the relevant evidence for the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists in preventing AD. Materials and methods. We systematically searched English and Chinese databases, including Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and Weipu website (VIP), based on the PICOS (Participants, Interventions, Comparisons, Outcomes, Study design) principles. The reviewers evaluated the search results and conducted the analysis; 5 articles with a total sample size of 184 patients were included. Changes in cognitive function, body mass index (BMI), blood glucose level, and insulin content were analyzed. Results. A low risk of bias and no publication bias were found in these studies. The following results were obtained: 1) cognitive function: mean difference (MD) = 2.16, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.45-2.88; 2) BMI change: MD = -1.16, 95% CI: -1.71-0.61; and 3) blood glucose change: standard MD (SMD) = -0.64, 95% CI: -1.21-0.88. No statistically significant difference was found in insulin content. Conclusions. In this review, we showed that GLP-1 receptor agonists can effectively change cognitive function, BMI and blood glucose levels in patients with AD. This provides relevant clues for the prevention of AD. However, more studies are needed to refine these conclusions.