Home › Research › Risk genes beyond APOE
17beta-estradiol reduces plasma Abeta40 for HRT-naïve postmenopausal women with Alzheimer disease: a preliminary study
Baker LD, Sambamurti K, Craft S, Cherrier M, Raskind MA, Stanczyk FZ, Plymate SR, Asthana S.. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 2003-03-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objective One mechanism to support the potentially beneficial effects of estrogen in the brain for postmenopausal women potentially involves the hormone's ability to favorably alter the processing of amyloid-precursor protein (APP), believed to play an important role in the pathobiology of Alzheimer disease (AD). The authors evaluated the effects of estrogen administration on plasma concentration of one by-product of APP processing, Abeta40, for postmenopausal women with AD. Methods In a placebo-controlled, double blind, parallel-group design study, 20 women were randomized to receive either 0.10 mg/day of transdermal 17beta-estradiol or a placebo for 8 weeks and were retrospectively evaluated as to whether basal levels of Abeta40 were affected by pre-study use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Blood samples were collected and cognitive tests were administered at baseline; at Weeks 3, 5, and 8 during treatment; and again 8 weeks after treatment termination. Results For the group as a whole, plasma Abeta40 was not reliably reduced in response to short-term estradiol administration. For HRT-naïve subjects, baseline Abeta40 concentrations were higher than those of previous HRT users, and controlled estradiol administration significantly reduced plasma Abeta40 by the end of the 8-week treatment period. Conclusions These results provide preliminary clinical evidence to support an effect of estradiol on Abeta-processing for AD women who are HRT-naïve. This finding suggests that the hormone may serve as an Abeta-lowering agent for HRT-naïve AD women, which may, in turn, have ultimate ramifications for the progression of AD pathology.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Baker, L. D., Sambamurti, K., Craft, S., Cherrier, M., Raskind, M. A., Stanczyk, F. Z., et al. (2003). 17beta-estradiol reduces plasma Abeta40 for HRT-naïve postmenopausal women with Alzheimer disease: a preliminary study. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1097/00019442-200303000-00015
Vancouver
Baker LD, Sambamurti K, Craft S, Cherrier M, Raskind MA, Stanczyk FZ, et al. 17beta-estradiol reduces plasma Abeta40 for HRT-naïve postmenopausal women with Alzheimer disease: a preliminary study. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. 2003. doi:10.1097/00019442-200303000-00015. PMID: 12611754.
BibTeX
@article{baker2003-12611754,
author = {Baker, L. D. and Sambamurti, K. and Craft, S. and Cherrier, M. and Raskind, M. A. and Stanczyk, F. Z. and Plymate, SR. and Asthana, S.},
title = {{17beta-estradiol reduces plasma Abeta40 for HRT-naïve postmenopausal women with Alzheimer disease: a preliminary study}},
journal = {The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.1097/00019442-200303000-00015},
pmid = {12611754},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/00019442-200303000-00015}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Results For the group as a whole, plasma Abeta40 was not reliably reduced in response to short-term estradiol administration.
- For HRT-naïve subjects, baseline Abeta40 concentrations were higher than those of previous HRT users, and controlled estradiol administration significantly reduced plasma Abeta40 by the end of the 8-week treatment period.
- Conclusions These results provide preliminary clinical evidence to support an effect of estradiol on Abeta-processing for AD women who are HRT-naïve.
- This finding suggests that the hormone may serve as an Abeta-lowering agent for HRT-naïve AD women, which may, in turn, have ultimate ramifications for the progression of AD pathology.
Why it matters
In a small placebo-controlled trial, 20 postmenopausal women with Alzheimer's received a 17beta-estradiol skin patch or placebo for 8 weeks. Across the whole group, blood Abeta40 was not reliably reduced, but in women who had never used hormone replacement therapy, estradiol significantly lowered it. The authors call this preliminary evidence that the hormone may act as an amyloid-lowering agent in this subgroup; effects on the disease itself were not shown.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Genetics →
Study details
- Study designrandomized controlled trial
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for sample size and effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: journal h-index 178 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2003 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study) |
| Randomised / blinded | 2 / 2 | Randomised and blinded or placebo-controlled (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 10 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.4 citations a year over 25 year(s) since 2003 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 0.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Sanjay Asthana: h-index 101 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | University of Washington: institution h-index 3,540 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12611754) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
1 study in the alzhub library lists this one in its references.
Related studies in Risk genes beyond APOE
Also tagged “placebo-controlled”
783 studies in the library carry the topic tag “placebo-controlled”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 783 tagged studies.