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Alpha-synuclein cortical Lewy bodies correlate with dementia in Parkinson's disease
Hurtig HI, Trojanowski JQ, Galvin J, Ewbank D, Schmidt ML, Lee VM, Clark CM, Glosser G et al.. Neurology, 2000-05-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Background Dementia is a frequent complication of idiopathic parkinsonism or PD, usually occurring later in the protracted course of the illness. The primary site of neuropathologic change in PD is the substantia nigra, but the neuropathologic and molecular basis of dementia in PD is less clear. Although Alzheimer's pathology has been a frequent finding, recent advances in immunostaining of alpha-synuclein have suggested the possible importance of cortical Lewy bodies (CLBs) in the brains of demented patients with PD. Methods The brains of 22 demented and 20 nondemented patients with a clinical and neuropathologic diagnosis of PD were evaluated with standard neuropathologic techniques. In addition, CLBs and dystrophic neurites were identified immunohistochemically with antibodies specific for alpha-synuclein and ubiquitin; plaques and tangles were identified by staining with thioflavine S. Associations between dementia status and pathologic markers were tested with logistic regression. Results CLBs positive for alpha-synuclein are highly sensitive (91%) and specific (90%) neuropathologic markers of dementia in PD and slightly more sensitive than ubiquitin-positive CLBs. They are better indicators of dementia than neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid plaques, or dystrophic neurites. Conclusion CLBs detected by alpha-synuclein antibodies in patients with PD are a more sensitive and specific correlate of dementia than the presence of Alzheimer's pathology, which was present in a minority of the cases in this series.
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APA 7th
Hurtig, H. I., Trojanowski, J. Q., Galvin, J., Ewbank, D., Schmidt, M. L., Lee, V. M., et al. (2000). Alpha-synuclein cortical Lewy bodies correlate with dementia in Parkinson's disease. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.54.10.1916
Vancouver
Hurtig HI, Trojanowski JQ, Galvin J, Ewbank D, Schmidt ML, Lee VM, et al. Alpha-synuclein cortical Lewy bodies correlate with dementia in Parkinson's disease. Neurology. 2000. doi:10.1212/wnl.54.10.1916. PMID: 10822429.
BibTeX
@article{hurtig2000-10822429,
author = {Hurtig, H. I. and Trojanowski, J. Q. and Galvin, J. and Ewbank, D. and Schmidt, M. L. and Lee, V. M. and Clark, C. M. and Glosser, G. and others},
title = {{Alpha-synuclein cortical Lewy bodies correlate with dementia in Parkinson's disease}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2000},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.54.10.1916},
pmid = {10822429},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.54.10.1916}
}
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Key findings
- Results CLBs positive for alpha-synuclein are highly sensitive (91%) and specific (90%) neuropathologic markers of dementia in PD and slightly more sensitive than ubiquitin-positive CLBs.
Why it matters
In brains examined after death from 42 people with Parkinson's disease (22 with dementia, 20 without), cortical Lewy bodies stained for the protein alpha-synuclein matched dementia status with 91% sensitivity and 90% specificity. They tracked dementia better than Alzheimer-type plaques and tangles, which were present in only a minority of these brains. This is an association in one small autopsy series, not a test that can be used in living patients.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2000 — 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 | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 603 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 21.5 citations a year over 28 year(s) since 2000 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 17.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 41 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 36 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Steven Edward Arnold: h-index 125 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Pennsylvania: institution h-index 1,859 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 10822429) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
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