Spain is among the top 10 countries in the world in Alzheimer's research

Spain is a leading country in Alzheimer's research, specifically it is in sixth position worldwide and third in Europe. This is one of the main conclusions of the report "Spain on the world map of scientific production in dementia and Alzheimer's", carried out by the company Research Mark Analytics and promoted by the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, with funding from the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030.

The report, which offers a global overview of bibliographic production in dementia and Alzheimer's between 2017 and 2021, highlights Spain as a leading country in research, both in terms of the number of publications, which have increased by 36% in the period analyzed, as in number of researchers.

The report also presents an analysis of scientific production in our country by autonomous communities and by cities. In this sense, five autonomous communities concentrate 80% of the bibliographic production of Alzheimer in Spain. Catalonia and the Community of Madrid stand out in terms of volume of publications and number of researchers, concentrating more than half of the total. They are followed with a large difference by the Valencian Community, Andalusia and the Basque Country.

Barcelona and Madrid, leading cities in Alzheimer's research

Barcelona and Madrid are the two Spanish cities that are among the 10 most productive in Alzheimer's research worldwide. Specifically, Barcelona occupies seventh place, in the global ranking with 540 publications, and Madrid tenth, with 525. Both cities also stand out for having a large number of active researchers, with Madrid in eighth place in Alzheimer's, while Barcelona occupies the tenth position.

The city of Barcelona has outstanding highly competitive research centers of excellence, which play a fundamental role in the generation of knowledge in the field of dementia and Alzheimer's. These are the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), the Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute (IIB Sant Pau) and the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation.

"These findings reinforce the leadership of Spain, and specifically of Barcelona and Madrid, which concentrate more than half of the country's total publications, as pioneering ecosystems in Alzheimer's research on a global scale. Also in Europe, being London is the only city that surpasses the two Spanish populations in scientific production on Alzheimer's disease", points out Dr. Arcadi Navarro, director of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation.

Research, the only way to stop Alzheimer's and dementia

The growing prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's in Spain represents a critical challenge for the health system, due to its economic and social impact. According to estimates, there are more than 900,000 people in Spain who suffer from some type of dementia, with Alzheimer's responsible for 60%-70% of cases. With the lack of effective treatments and the increase in life expectancy, the number of people affected is expected to double in the coming decades.

"Progress in research becomes crucial to stop this worrying trend, which is why we at the Pasqual Maragall Foundation have produced this report, because only in this way can we know how we stand in the world and see that the dynamics of collaboration between hospitals, universities, research centers and governments are key to stimulating the attraction of talent and the impetus for new scientific projects in the field of Alzheimer's", emphasizes Dr. Arcadi.

To access the results of the report, see this link.