Home › Research › Brain tissue and pathology
Alzheimer's disease and the basal forebrain cholinergic system: relations to beta-amyloid peptides, cognition, and treatment strategies
Auld DS, Kornecook TJ, Bastianetto S, Quirion R.. Progress in neurobiology, 2002-10-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of degenerative dementia and is characterized by progressive impairment in cognitive function during mid- to late-adult life. Brains from AD patients show several distinct neuropathological features, including extracellular beta-amyloid-containing plaques, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles composed of abnormally phosphorylated tau, and degeneration of cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain. In this review, we will present evidence implicating involvement of the basal forebrain cholinergic system in AD pathogenesis and its accompanying cognitive deficits.
Key findings
- Brains from AD patients show several distinct neuropathological features, including extracellular beta-amyloid-containing plaques, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles composed of abnormally phosphorylated tau, and degeneration of cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain.
- In this review, we will present evidence implicating involvement of the basal forebrain cholinergic system in AD pathogenesis and its accompanying cognitive deficits.
- We will initially discuss recent results indicating a link between cholinergic mechanisms and the pathogenic events that characterize AD, notably amyloid-beta peptides.
- Following this, animal models of dementia will be discussed in light of the relationship between basal forebrain cholinergic hypofunction and cognitive impairments in AD.
Why it matters
This review presents evidence implicating the basal forebrain cholinergic system in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis and its accompanying cognitive deficits. It discusses the relationship between beta-amyloid peptides, cognition, and treatment strategies targeting this system.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 50/100
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.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Progress in neurobiology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Progress in Neurobiology: journal h-index 325 (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 | 2002 — 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 | 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 666 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 25.6 citations a year over 26 year(s) since 2002 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 12.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 10 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 62 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Rémi Quirion: h-index 104 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | McGill University: institution h-index 1,373 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12450488) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 50 / 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.
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
Auld, D. S., Kornecook, T. J., Bastianetto, S., & Quirion, R. (2002). Alzheimer's disease and the basal forebrain cholinergic system: relations to beta-amyloid peptides, cognition, and treatment strategies. Progress in neurobiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0301-0082(02)00079-5
Vancouver
Auld DS, Kornecook TJ, Bastianetto S, Quirion R. Alzheimer's disease and the basal forebrain cholinergic system: relations to beta-amyloid peptides, cognition, and treatment strategies. Progress in neurobiology. 2002. doi:10.1016/s0301-0082(02)00079-5. PMID: 12450488.
BibTeX
@article{auld2002-12450488,
author = {Auld, D. S. and Kornecook, T. J. and Bastianetto, S. and Quirion, R.},
title = {{Alzheimer's disease and the basal forebrain cholinergic system: relations to beta-amyloid peptides, cognition, and treatment strategies}},
journal = {Progress in neurobiology},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.1016/s0301-0082(02)00079-5},
pmid = {12450488},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s0301-0082(02)00079-5}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 36.
Later studies that cite this one
10 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Brain tissue and pathology
Also tagged “amyloid-beta”
1,339 studies in the library carry the topic tag “amyloid-beta”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,339 tagged studies.