Thomson Reuters Identifies United Kingdom as a Leader in Dementia Research

PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

- Amid high-caliber research output and citation impact, analysis reveals region has unfilled potential to accelerate dementia cure

Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters today announced findings that the quality of dementia research in the United Kingdom (UK) is second in the world only to the United States, despite the low number of scientists working in this field, and that finding a cure can be accelerated by increasing the number of dementia researchers and investment, according to work done using the Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge™. The findings are featured in an Alzheimer's UK Research Report "Defeating Dementia."

The results from the analysis reveal the UK published more research on dementia than any other country except the United States and ranks second in the world after Sweden in citation impact, which is the number of times UK research is referenced in dementia studies around the globe. Despite its high performance and influence, dementia research capacity in the UK is low when compared to cancer, stroke and heart disease. For every dementia research scientist there are six who work on cancer.

"Research output and citation impact in scientific literature is an ideal way to measure the quality and capacity of dementia research," said Karen Gurney, manager of bibliometric reporting at Thomson Reuters and analyst of this report. "This project illuminated an interesting dementia-research landscape in the UK, where this region is clearly playing an influential role despite its size."

The research study was commissioned by the UK's leading dementia research charity, Alzheimer's Research UK, in an effort to raise awareness and increase investment for the underfunded field. The data measuring the quality and size of dementia research in the UK was compiled by Thomson Reuters. Issued by Alzheimer's UK, the report, Defeating Dementia, also outlines 14 recommendations to the UK government based on feedback from scientists working in the field.

"The data provided by Thomson Reuters have been extremely valuable in allowing Alzheimer's Research UK to uncover the facts about dementia research output and quality in the UK," said Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK. "We wanted to dig deep into the issue of UK research capacity in this field. The work carried out by Thomson Reuters enabled us to do this and make a strong case for more investment in dementia research."

Rebecca Wood, chief executive, Alzheimer's Research UK, concurs. "Alzheimer's Research UK relies on robust data to support its expertise. The data provided by Thomson Reuters allowed us to present an in-depth picture of UK dementia research in a global context over the last fifty years. It has been very well-received by a range of stakeholders, including government and other research funders."

To view the Alzheimer's Research UK report, Defeating Dementia, visit: http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org.

Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.  We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science, and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. For more information, go to http://www.thomsonreuters.com.

Alzheimer's Research UK
Alzheimer's Research UK is the UK's leading dementia research charity. As research experts, we fund world-class, pioneering scientists at leading universities to find preventions, treatments and a cure for dementia. Our findings improve the lives of everyone affected by dementia now and in the future. We forge partnerships with Government and other key organizations to make dementia research a national priority.