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Alzheimer's disease: the challenge of the second century
Holtzman DM, Morris JC, Goate AM.. Science translational medicine, 2011-04-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Plain-language summary
Alzheimer's disease (AD) was first described a little more than 100 years ago. It is the most common cause of dementia with an estimated prevalence of 30 million people worldwide, a number that is expected to quadruple in 40 years. There currently is no effective treatment that delays the onset or slows the progression of AD. However, major scientific advances in the areas of genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, and neuroscience over the past 25 years have changed the way we think about AD. This review discusses some of the challenges to translating these basic molecular and cellular discoveries into clinical therapies. Current information suggests that if the disease is detected before the onset of overt symptoms, it is possible that treatments based on knowledge of underlying pathogenesis can and will be effective.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Holtzman, D. M., Morris, J. C., & Goate, A. M. (2011). Alzheimer's disease: the challenge of the second century. Science translational medicine. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.3002369
Vancouver
Holtzman DM, Morris JC, Goate AM. Alzheimer's disease: the challenge of the second century. Science translational medicine. 2011. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.3002369. PMID: 21471435.
BibTeX
@article{holtzman2011-21471435,
author = {Holtzman, D. M. and Morris, J. C. and Goate, A. M.},
title = {{Alzheimer's disease: the challenge of the second century}},
journal = {Science translational medicine},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1126/scitranslmed.3002369},
pmid = {21471435},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.3002369}
}
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Key findings
- Current information suggests that if the disease is detected before the onset of overt symptoms, it is possible that treatments based on knowledge of underlying pathogenesis can and will be effective.
Why it matters
This review states that there is currently no effective treatment that delays the onset or slows the progression of Alzheimer's disease. It suggests that if the disease is detected before symptoms appear, treatments based on knowledge of its underlying pathogenesis might be effective, but this is a proposal rather than a demonstrated treatment.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Alzheimer's in numbers →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 57/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Science translational medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Science Translational Medicine: journal h-index 365 (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 | 2011 — 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) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,424 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 83.8 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 53.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 57 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 226 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Alison Goate: h-index 156 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21471435) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 57 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3002369
- PubMed: 21471435
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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