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53/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 53 out of 100. Genetics

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Mechanisms underlying phenotypic heterogeneity in young onset Alzheimer disease (YOAD) are poorly understood. We used diffusion tensor imaging and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) with tract-based spatial statistics to investigate apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4 modulation of white-matter damage in 37 patients with YOAD (22, 59% APOE ε4 positive) and 23 age-matched controls. Correlation between neurite density index (NDI) and neuropsychological performance was assessed in 4 white-matter regions of interest. White-matter disruption was more widespread in ε4+ individuals but more focal (posterior predominant) in the absence of an ε4 allele. NODDI metrics indicate fractional anisotropy changes are underpinned by combinations of axonal loss and morphological change. Regional NDI in parieto-occipital white matter correlated with visual object and spatial perception battery performance (right and left, both p = 0.02), and performance (nonverbal) intelligence (WASI matrices, right, p = 0.04). NODDI provides tissue-specific microstructural metrics of white-matter tract damage in YOAD, including NDI which correlates with focal cognitive deficits, and APOEε4 status is associated with different patterns of white-matter neurodegeneration.

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APA 7th

Slattery, C. F., Zhang, J., Paterson, R. W., Foulkes, A. J. M., Carton, A., Macpherson, K., et al. (2017). ApoE influences regional white-matter axonal density loss in Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiology of aging. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.04.021

Vancouver

Slattery CF, Zhang J, Paterson RW, Foulkes AJM, Carton A, Macpherson K, et al. ApoE influences regional white-matter axonal density loss in Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiology of aging. 2017. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.04.021. PMID: 28578156.

BibTeX

@article{slattery2017-28578156,
  author  = {Slattery, C. F. and Zhang, J. and Paterson, R. W. and Foulkes, A. J. M. and Carton, A. and Macpherson, K. and Mancini, L. and Thomas, D. L. and others},
  title   = {{ApoE influences regional white-matter axonal density loss in Alzheimer's disease}},
  journal = {Neurobiology of aging},
  year    = {2017},
  doi     = {10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.04.021},
  pmid    = {28578156},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.04.021}
}

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Key findings

NODDI provides tissue-specific microstructural metrics of white-matter tract damage in YOAD, including NDI which correlates with focal cognitive deficits, and APOEε4 status is associated with different patterns of white-matter neurodegeneration.

Why it matters

In young-onset Alzheimer patients, APOE epsilon4 status was linked to different patterns of white-matter damage measured by imaging. This is a small imaging study and does not show a treatment or way to prevent the disease.

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Study details

Participants37
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 53/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neurobiology of aging)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Neurobiology of Aging: journal h-index 263 (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	2 / 5	2017 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	1 / 4	37 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)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	5 / 7	Cited 103 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	3 / 5	9.4 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017
Impact for its field and year	3 / 6	Cited 7.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	2 / 6	Cited by 5 other studies in this library
Still being cited	2 / 4	Cited 27 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	3 / 4	Last-listed author Jonathan M. Schott: h-index 96 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 28578156)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	53 / 100	—

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