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Alzheimer's disease
De-Paula VJ, Radanovic M, Diniz BS, Forlenza OV.. Sub-cellular biochemistry, 2012-01-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
The neurotoxic potential of the Aβ peptide results from its biochemical properties that favor aggregation into insoluble oligomers and protofibrils. Intracerebral amyloidosis develops in AD patients in an age-dependent manner, but recent evidence indicate that it may be observed in some subjects as early as in the third or fourth decades of life, with increasing magnitude in late middle age, and highest estimates in old age. According to recent propositions, three clinical phases of Alzheimer's disease may be defined: (i) pre-symptomatic (or pre-clinical) AD, which may last for several years or decades until the overproduction and accumulation of Aβ in the brain reaches a critical level that triggers the amyloid cascade; (ii) pre-dementia phase of AD (compatible with the definition of progressive, amnestic mild cognitive impairment), in which early-stage pathology is present, ranging from mild neuronal dystrophy to early-stage Braak pathology, and may last for several years according to individual resilience and brain reserve; (iii) clinically defined dementia phase of AD, in which cognitive and functional impairment is severe enough to surmount the dementia threshold; at this stage there is significant accumulation of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in affected brain areas, bearing relationship with the magnitude of global impairment.
Key findings
- The neurotoxic potential of the Aβ peptide results from its biochemical properties that favor aggregation into insoluble oligomers and protofibrils.
- Intracerebral amyloidosis develops in AD patients in an age-dependent manner, but recent evidence indicate that it may be observed in some subjects as early as in the third or fourth decades of life, with increasing magnitude in late middle age, and highest estimates in old age.
- According to recent propositions, three clinical phases of Alzheimer's disease may be defined: (i) pre-symptomatic (or pre-clinical) AD, which may last for several years or decades until the overproduction and accumulation of Aβ in the brain reaches a critical level that triggers the amyloid cascade; (ii) pre-dementia phase of AD (compatible with the definition of progressive, amnestic mild cognitive impairment), in which early-stage pathology is present, ranging from mild neuronal dystrophy to early-stage Braak pathology, and may last for several years according to individual resilience and brain reserve; (iii) clinically defined dementia phase of AD, in which cognitive and functional impairment is severe enough to surmount the dementia threshold; at this stage there is significant accumulation of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in affected brain areas, bearing relationship with the magnitude of global impairment.
Why it matters
This paper describes how the Aβ peptide's tendency to clump into insoluble oligomers and protofibrils may drive nerve damage, and it outlines three phases of Alzheimer's disease from a pre-symptomatic stage through to dementia. It is a descriptive overview rather than a trial of any treatment, so it does not show that any therapy can prevent or cure the disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, so that was left out: it earned 44 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 46 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Sub-cellular biochemistry) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| 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 | 2012 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| 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 | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 407 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 25.4 citations a year over 16 year(s) since 2012 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 17.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 135 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Orestes Vicente Forlenza: h-index 67 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Universidade de São Paulo: institution h-index 936 (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 23225010) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 44 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 44 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 46 out of 100. |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
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.
APA 7th
De-Paula, V. J., Radanovic, M., Diniz, B. S., & Forlenza, O. V. (2012). Alzheimer's disease. Sub-cellular biochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5416-4_14
Vancouver
De-Paula VJ, Radanovic M, Diniz BS, Forlenza OV. Alzheimer's disease. Sub-cellular biochemistry. 2012. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-5416-4_14. PMID: 23225010.
BibTeX
@article{depaula2012-23225010,
author = {De-Paula, V. J. and Radanovic, M. and Diniz, B. S. and Forlenza, O. V.},
title = {{Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Sub-cellular biochemistry},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1007/978-94-007-5416-4_14},
pmid = {23225010},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5416-4_14}
}
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