This page is alzhub.org's plain-English summary of a published study, not the paper itself. It is generated from the record we hold for this study, sourced and linked below — check the original for the full text and methods.

53/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 53 out of 100. Disease mechanisms

Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models

Objective Paratonia, a distinctive form of hypertonia in patients with dementia, causes loss of functional mobility in early stage dementia to severe contractures and pain in the late stages. The pathogenesis of paratonia is not well understood. Patients in early stage dementia with diabetes mellitus showed a significantly higher risk for the development of paratonia. Both Alzheimer disease and diabetes mellitus are related to higher concentrations of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). The purpose of this study is to explore the association of AGEs with the prevalence and severity of paratonia in patients with Alzheimer disease. Design Observational longitudinal, 1-year follow-up cohort study with 3 assessments. Setting Day care centers for patients with dementia. Participants A total of 144 community-dwelling patients with early stage Alzheimer or Alzheimer/vascular disease were recruited from 24 dementia day care centers in The Netherlands. Measurements The presence of paratonia (Paratonia Assessment Instrument), the severity of paratonia (Modified Ashworth Scale for paratonia), and AGE levels (AGE-reader). Results From the 144 participants (56.3% female and 43.7% male, with a mean [standard deviation] age of 80.7 [7.7] years), 118 participants were available for final follow-up. A significant association between AGE levels and the presence of paratonia (odds ratio 3.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.87-6.44, P Conclusions This study suggests that elevated AGE levels are a contributing factor to paratonia and its severity and could be the result of peripheral biomechanical changes reducing elasticity and increasing stiffness. These results provide a new perspective on paratonia and gives rise to further research whether paratonia could be postponed or movement stiffness can be improved by reducing AGE levels.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Drenth, H., Zuidema, S. U., Krijnen, W. P., Bautmans, I., van der Schans, C., & Hobbelen, H. (2017). Advanced Glycation End-Products Are Associated With the Presence and Severity of Paratonia in Early Stage Alzheimer Disease. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2017.04.004

Vancouver

Drenth H, Zuidema SU, Krijnen WP, Bautmans I, van der Schans C, Hobbelen H. Advanced Glycation End-Products Are Associated With the Presence and Severity of Paratonia in Early Stage Alzheimer Disease. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2017. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2017.04.004. PMID: 28558966.

BibTeX

@article{drenth2017-28558966,
  author  = {Drenth, H. and Zuidema, S. U. and Krijnen, W. P. and Bautmans, I. and van der Schans, C. and Hobbelen, H.},
  title   = {{Advanced Glycation End-Products Are Associated With the Presence and Severity of Paratonia in Early Stage Alzheimer Disease}},
  journal = {Journal of the American Medical Directors Association},
  year    = {2017},
  doi     = {10.1016/j.jamda.2017.04.004},
  pmid    = {28558966},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2017.04.004}
}

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

Key findings

Patients in early stage dementia with diabetes mellitus showed a significantly higher risk for the development of paratonia.
Results From the 144 participants (56.3% female and 43.7% male, with a mean [standard deviation] age of 80.7 [7.7] years), 118 participants were available for final follow-up.
A significant association between AGE levels and the presence of paratonia (odds ratio 3.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.87-6.44, P < .001) and paratonia severity (β = 0.17, 95% CI 0.11-0.23, P < .001) was determined.
These results provide a new perspective on paratonia and gives rise to further research whether paratonia could be postponed or movement stiffness can be improved by reducing AGE levels.

Why it matters

In 144 people with early-stage Alzheimer's or mixed Alzheimer's/vascular disease from 24 day care centers in The Netherlands, higher levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) were associated with paratonia, a type of muscle stiffness in dementia (odds ratio 3.47). The authors suggest AGEs may contribute to paratonia by making tissues less elastic. Whether lowering AGE levels could delay this stiffness still needs to be tested.

Study details

Study designcohort study
Participants144
Effect size56.3%; 43.7%
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 53/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Medical Directors Association)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	Journal of the American Medical Directors Association: journal h-index 172 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	7 / 12	A cohort study following people over time
Strength of evidence	3 / 5	Rated “moderate” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	2 / 5	2017 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	144 participants
Effect reported	2 / 3	Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	3 / 7	Cited 32 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	1 / 5	2.9 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017
Impact for its field and year	2 / 6	Cited 2.8× 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	1 / 4	Cited 7 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	2 / 4	Last-listed author Hans J. S. M. Hobbelen: h-index 26 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	University of Groningen: institution h-index 1,383 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 28558966)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	53 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

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 Disease mechanisms

Also tagged “precursor”

1,337 studies in the library carry the topic tag “precursor”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,337 tagged studies.

Studies sharing this one's topic tags

Similar studies

More on Disease mechanisms

See all studies in Disease mechanisms →