Public policies targeting modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline are key levers for preventing or delaying dementia at the population level. This article introduces the “policy exposome,” framing policy as a cumulative exposure that shapes dementia risk across the life course by influencing social, environmental, and behavioral conditions.

Drawing on expert consultation, CPHLR's Elizabeth Platt and other researchers identify priority policy domains — including education, tobacco and alcohol control, air pollution, and old-age social assistance — and highlight the need for systematic, harmonized policy data. The article emphasizes the role of policy surveillance and legal epidemiology methods in enabling rigorous, causal research that links policy environments to cognitive outcomes.

Published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, this work advances a policy-focused research agenda and underscores the importance of law and policy as tools for improving population brain health.