Home › Research › Biomarkers
Amyloid PET imaging in patients with mild cognitive impairment: a 2-year follow-up study
Koivunen J, Scheinin N, Virta JR, Aalto S, Vahlberg T, Någren K, Helin S, Parkkola R et al.. Neurology, 2011-02-16
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Background Patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have greater risk of conversion to Alzheimer disease (AD). Increased brain amyloid burden in AD and MCI has been demonstrated with PET using [(11)C] Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) as a tracer. Objective To evaluate change in β-amyloid deposition in with MCI during 2-year follow-up. Methods Patients with MCI and controls were studied with [(11)C] PiB PET, MRI, and neuropsychometry at baseline and these investigations were repeated in patients with MCI after follow-up. Results Those patients with MCI converting to AD during follow-up had greater [(11)C] PiB retention in the posterior cingulate (p=0.020), in the lateral frontal cortex (p=0.006), in the temporal cortex (p=0.022), in the putamen (p=0.041), and in the caudate nucleus (p=0.025) as compared to nonconverters. In converters, there was no significant change in [(11)C] PiB uptake, whereas an increase was seen as compared to baseline in nonconverters in the anterior and posterior cingulate, temporal and parietal cortices, and putamen. Hippocampal atrophy was greater in converters at baseline than in nonconverters, but increased significantly in both groups during follow-up. Conclusions Hippocampal atrophy and amyloid deposition seem to dissociate during the evolution of MCI, the atrophy increasing clearly and [(11)C] PiB retention changing modestly when conversion to AD occurs. Longer follow-up is needed to determine whether nonconverters would convert to AD later, which would suggest accelerated [(11)C] PiB retention preceding clinical conversion.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Koivunen, J., Scheinin, N., Virta, JR., Aalto, S., Vahlberg, T., Någren, K., et al. (2011). Amyloid PET imaging in patients with mild cognitive impairment: a 2-year follow-up study. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0b013e318212015e
Vancouver
Koivunen J, Scheinin N, Virta JR, Aalto S, Vahlberg T, Någren K, et al. Amyloid PET imaging in patients with mild cognitive impairment: a 2-year follow-up study. Neurology. 2011. doi:10.1212/wnl.0b013e318212015e. PMID: 21325653.
BibTeX
@article{koivunen2011-21325653,
author = {Koivunen, J. and Scheinin, N. and Virta, JR. and Aalto, S. and Vahlberg, T. and Någren, K. and Helin, S. and Parkkola, R. and others},
title = {{Amyloid PET imaging in patients with mild cognitive impairment: a 2-year follow-up study}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0b013e318212015e},
pmid = {21325653},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0b013e318212015e}
}
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.
Key findings
- Increased brain amyloid burden in AD and MCI has been demonstrated with PET using [(11)C] Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) as a tracer.
- Results Those patients with MCI converting to AD during follow-up had greater [(11)C] PiB retention in the posterior cingulate (p=0.020), in the lateral frontal cortex (p=0.006), in the temporal cortex (p=0.022), in the putamen (p=0.041), and in the caudate nucleus (p=0.025) as compared to nonconverters.
- In converters, there was no significant change in [(11)C] PiB uptake, whereas an increase was seen as compared to baseline in nonconverters in the anterior and posterior cingulate, temporal and parietal cortices, and putamen.
- Hippocampal atrophy was greater in converters at baseline than in nonconverters, but increased significantly in both groups during follow-up.
Why it matters
In patients with mild cognitive impairment followed for 2 years, those who converted to Alzheimer disease had greater PiB retention at baseline, and amyloid retention changed modestly while hippocampal atrophy increased. This concerns imaging and disease progression, not treatment, cure or prevention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Blood tests & biomarkers →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a leading specialty 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 | 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 | 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) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 190 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 11.2 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 19.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 19 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 11 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Juha O. Rinne: h-index 99 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | University of Turku: institution h-index 626 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21325653) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription Unpaywall, Europe PMC and OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 10 Oct 2026), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
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
19 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Biomarkers
Also tagged “machine”
834 studies in the library carry the topic tag “machine”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 834 tagged studies.