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Alzheimer-signature MRI biomarker predicts AD dementia in cognitively normal adults
Dickerson BC, Stoub TR, Shah RC, Sperling RA, Killiany RJ, Albert MS, Hyman BT, Blacker D et al.. Neurology, 2011-04-13
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objective Since Alzheimer disease (AD) neuropathology is thought to develop years before dementia, it may be possible to detect subtle AD-related atrophy in preclinical AD. Here we hypothesized that the "disease signature" of AD-related cortical thinning, previously identified in patients with mild AD dementia, would be useful as a biomarker to detect anatomic abnormalities consistent with AD in cognitively normal (CN) adults who develop AD dementia after longitudinal follow-up. Methods We studied 2 independent samples of adults who were CN when scanned. In sample 1, 8 individuals developing AD dementia (CN-AD converters) after an average of 11.1 years were compared to 25 individuals who remained CN (CN-stable). In sample 2, 7 CN-AD converters (average follow-up 7.1 years) were compared to 25 CN-stable individuals. Results AD-signature cortical thinning in CN-AD converters in both samples was remarkably similar, about 0.2 mm (p 1). Of the 11 CN individuals with baseline low AD-signature thickness (≥ 1 SD below cohort mean), 55% developed AD dementia over nearly the next decade, while none of the 9 high AD-signature thickness individuals (≥ 1 SD above mean) developed dementia. This marker predicted time to diagnosis of dementia (hazard ratio = 3.4, p Conclusions By focusing on cortical regions known to be affected in AD dementia, subtle but reliable atrophy is identifiable in asymptomatic individuals nearly a decade before dementia, making this measure a potentially important imaging biomarker of early neurodegeneration.
Key findings
- In sample 1, 8 individuals developing AD dementia (CN-AD converters) after an average of 11.1 years were compared to 25 individuals who remained CN (CN-stable).
- In sample 2, 7 CN-AD converters (average follow-up 7.1 years) were compared to 25 CN-stable individuals.
- Results AD-signature cortical thinning in CN-AD converters in both samples was remarkably similar, about 0.2 mm (p 1).
Why it matters
In two small samples of cognitively normal adults, a pattern of cortical thinning predicted who later developed Alzheimer's dementia, with low thickness linked to higher risk. This is an early finding from small samples and would need confirmation before it could be used to guide care.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 64/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people 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 | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” 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) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 384 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 22.6 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 15.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 26 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 91 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Leyla deToledo‐Morrell: h-index 61 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 8 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21490323) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 64 / 100 | — |
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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. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Dickerson, B. C., Stoub, T. R., Shah, R. C., Sperling, R. A., Killiany, R. J., Albert, M. S., et al. (2011). Alzheimer-signature MRI biomarker predicts AD dementia in cognitively normal adults. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0b013e3182166e96
Vancouver
Dickerson BC, Stoub TR, Shah RC, Sperling RA, Killiany RJ, Albert MS, et al. Alzheimer-signature MRI biomarker predicts AD dementia in cognitively normal adults. Neurology. 2011. doi:10.1212/wnl.0b013e3182166e96. PMID: 21490323.
BibTeX
@article{dickerson2011-21490323,
author = {Dickerson, B. C. and Stoub, T. R. and Shah, R. C. and Sperling, R. A. and Killiany, R. J. and Albert, M. S. and Hyman, B. T. and Blacker, D. and others},
title = {{Alzheimer-signature MRI biomarker predicts AD dementia in cognitively normal adults}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0b013e3182166e96},
pmid = {21490323},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0b013e3182166e96}
}
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