NICE recently published updated recommendations for diagnosing dementia and how people with this clinical syndrome navigate the care system. In this update, major changes from the previous version include the use of emerging diagnostic methods in research. NICE recommendations regarding the use of CSF biomarkers and FDG PET imaging for diagnosing dementia subtypes in specialist clinical setting are based on results from diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) studies identified and included in a systematic review conducted according to Cochrane DTA Handbook guidelines (http://methods.cochrane.org/sdt/handbook-dta-reviews). We have concerns about the way in which the evidence has been translated into practice recommendations.