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Apolipoprotein E immunoreactivity in cerebral amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease and kuru plaque amyloid in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Yoshio Namba, Masanori Tomonaga, Hiroshi Kawasaki, Eiichi Otomo, Kazuhiko Ikeda. Brain Research, 1991-02-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Researchers conducted immunohistochemical studies on lipid changes in Alzheimer's disease brains using an antibody to apolipoprotein E. They unexpectedly discovered that apo E immunoreactivity was associated with amyloid in senile plaques, cerebral vessels, and neurofibrillary tangles, as well as in kuru plaques in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Additionally, pretreatment with formic acid greatly enhanced this immunoreactivity in senile and kuru plaques.
Key findings
- Apo E immunoreactivity was associated with amyloid in both senile plaques and cerebral vessels and neurofibrillary tangles
- The immunoreactivity was also found in amyloid of kuru plaques in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
- Pretreatment of the sections with formic acid greatly enhanced immunoreactivity of senile and kuru plaques to antibody to apo E
Why it matters
Reports apolipoprotein E staining in amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease and in kuru plaque amyloid in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on strength of evidence, so that was left out: it earned 45 of the 95 points we could judge it on, which is 47 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Brain Research) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Brain Research: journal h-index 399 (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 | — / 5 | No evidence rating recorded — left out of this score |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1991 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| 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 | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,161 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 31.4 citations a year over 37 year(s) since 1991 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 22.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 43 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Kazuhiko Ikeda: h-index 41 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The University of Tokyo: institution h-index 1,463 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 2029618) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 45 / 95 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 45 of the 95 points we could judge it on is 47 out of 100. |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Namba, Y., Tomonaga, M., Kawasaki, H., Otomo, E., & Ikeda, K. (1991). Apolipoprotein E immunoreactivity in cerebral amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease and kuru plaque amyloid in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Brain Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(91)91092-f
Vancouver
Namba Y, Tomonaga M, Kawasaki H, Otomo E, Ikeda K. Apolipoprotein E immunoreactivity in cerebral amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease and kuru plaque amyloid in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Brain Research. 1991. doi:10.1016/0006-8993(91)91092-f. PMID: 2029618.
BibTeX
@article{namba1991-2029618,
author = {Namba, Yoshio and Tomonaga, Masanori and Kawasaki, Hiroshi and Otomo, Eiichi and Ikeda, Kazuhiko},
title = {{Apolipoprotein E immunoreactivity in cerebral amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease and kuru plaque amyloid in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease}},
journal = {Brain Research},
year = {1991},
doi = {10.1016/0006-8993(91)91092-f},
pmid = {2029618},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(91)91092-f}
}