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Alzheimer's Disease: The Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis
John Hardy, Gerald A. Higgins. Science, 1992-04-10
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
We do not hold a plain-English summary of this study yet. Use the links to the original below for its abstract and findings.
Why it matters
Sets out the amyloid cascade hypothesis as an account of how Alzheimer's disease comes about. It is a proposed explanation that shapes where treatments are looked for, not a treatment or a test of one.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 61/100
Published in a top-tier 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 | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (Science) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Science: journal h-index 1,754 (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 | 1992 — 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 | 7 / 7 | Cited 7,481 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 207.8 citations a year over 36 year(s) since 1992 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 22.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 6 / 6 | Cited by 212 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 1,313 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Gerald A. Higgins: h-index 35 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | National Institutes of Health: institution h-index 2,723 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 1566067) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 61 / 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
Hardy, J., & Higgins, G. A. (1992). Alzheimer's Disease: The Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1566067
Vancouver
Hardy J, Higgins GA. Alzheimer's Disease: The Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis. Science. 1992. doi:10.1126/science.1566067. PMID: 1566067.
BibTeX
@article{hardy1992-1566067,
author = {Hardy, John and Higgins, Gerald A.},
title = {{Alzheimer's Disease: The Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis}},
journal = {Science},
year = {1992},
doi = {10.1126/science.1566067},
pmid = {1566067},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1566067}
}
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
212 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.