Home › Research › Digital health tools
Aphasia in dementia of the Alzheimer type
Cummings JL, Benson F, Hill MA, Read S.. Neurology, 1985-03-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Plain-language summary
Speech and language assessment in 30 patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type and in 70 normal controls revealed that all Alzheimer patients were aphasic. Throughout most of the course, the language disorder resembled transcortical sensory aphasia, and increasing language impairment correlated with increasing severity of dementia. Aphasia was present regardless of age of onset or family history of dementia. Aphasia is an important diagnostic criterion of dementia of the Alzheimer type.
What this study adds
Evidence grade: Low
The record lists 30 participants. In this small study of 30 patients, all those with dementia of the Alzheimer type showed language problems (aphasia), and the problems worsened as dementia became more severe. The authors conclude that aphasia is an important diagnostic criterion for this type of dementia.
Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Cummings, J. L., Benson, F., Hill, M. A., & Read, S. (1985). Aphasia in dementia of the Alzheimer type. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.35.3.394
Vancouver
Cummings JL, Benson F, Hill MA, Read S. Aphasia in dementia of the Alzheimer type. Neurology. 1985. doi:10.1212/wnl.35.3.394. PMID: 3974897.
BibTeX
@article{cummings1985-3974897,
author = {Cummings, J. L. and Benson, F. and Hill, M. A. and Read, S.},
title = {{Aphasia in dementia of the Alzheimer type}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {1985},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.35.3.394},
pmid = {3974897},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.35.3.394}
}
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.
Key findings
- Speech and language assessment in 30 patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type and in 70 normal controls revealed that all Alzheimer patients were aphasic.
Why it matters
In this small study of 30 patients, all those with dementia of the Alzheimer type showed language problems (aphasia), and the problems worsened as dementia became more severe. The authors conclude that aphasia is an important diagnostic criterion for this type of dementia.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Digital health →
Study details
- Participants30
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 51/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 49 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 51 out of 100.
| 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 | 1985 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 30 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 340 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.9 citations a year over 43 year(s) since 1985 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 17.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 14 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, Los Angeles: institution h-index 1,923 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 3974897) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 49 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 49 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 51 out of 100. |
| Total | 51 / 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.
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Later studies that cite this one
6 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Digital health tools from nearby years
Also in Digital health tools
178 studies in the library are filed under Digital health tools with no topic tag they share with another; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed tour of them. The Digital health tools hub.