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59/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 59 out of 100. Brain scans and imaging

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

We compared the predictive value of cerebral perfusion as measured by arterial-spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) with MRI-derived hippocampal volume for determining future cognitive and functional decline and subsequent conversion from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. Forty-eight mild cognitive impairment subjects received structural and ASL-MRI scans at baseline and clinical and neuropsychologic assessments annually. Thirteen subjects became demented during the period of longitudinal observation (2.7+/-1.0 y). Cox regression analyses suggest that baseline hippocampal volume [relative risk (RR)=0.99, P=0.004], baseline right inferior parietal (RR=0.64, P=0.01) and right middle frontal (RR=0.73, P=0.01) perfusion were associated with conversion to dementia. Results from linear mixed effects modeling suggest that baseline perfusion from the right precuneus predicted subsequent declines in Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (P=0.002), Functional Activates Questionnaire (P=0.01), and selective attention (ie, Stroop switching, P=0.009) whereas baseline perfusion from the right middle frontal cortex predicted subsequent episodic memory decline (ie, total recognition discriminability score from the California Verbal Learning Test, P=0.03). These results suggest that hypoperfusion as detected by ASL-MRI can predict subsequent clinical, functional, and cognitive decline and may be useful for identifying candidates for future Alzheimer disease treatment trials.

Key findings

Cox regression analyses suggest that baseline hippocampal volume [relative risk (RR)=0.99, P=0.004], baseline right inferior parietal (RR=0.64, P=0.01) and right middle frontal (RR=0.73, P=0.01) perfusion were associated with conversion to dementia.
Results from linear mixed effects modeling suggest that baseline perfusion from the right precuneus predicted subsequent declines in Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (P=0.002), Functional Activates Questionnaire (P=0.01), and selective attention (ie, Stroop switching, P=0.009) whereas baseline perfusion from the right middle frontal cortex predicted subsequent episodic memory decline (ie, total recognition discriminability score from the California Verbal Learning Test, P=0.03).
These results suggest that hypoperfusion as detected by ASL-MRI can predict subsequent clinical, functional, and cognitive decline and may be useful for identifying candidates for future Alzheimer disease treatment trials.

Why it matters

In 48 people with mild cognitive impairment followed for about 2.7 years, baseline hippocampal volume and perfusion in certain brain regions were associated with conversion to dementia and cognitive decline. This is an observational study and does not test any treatment or show that improving perfusion prevents dementia.

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Study details

Study designlongitudinal study
Effect sizeRR=0.64; RR=0.73
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 59/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer disease and associated disorders)
Journal's citation record	1 / 4	Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders: journal h-index 131 (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	2010 — 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	3 / 3	Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar)
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 257 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	3 / 5	14.3 citations a year over 18 year(s) since 2010
Impact for its field and year	4 / 6	Cited 8.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	3 / 6	Cited by 10 other studies in this library
Still being cited	2 / 4	Cited 42 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Michael Walter Weiner: h-index 171 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	University of California, San Francisco: institution h-index 1,915 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 20220321)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	59 / 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

Chao, L. L., Buckley, S. T., Kornak, J., Schuff, N., Madison, C., Yaffe, K., et al. (2010). ASL perfusion MRI predicts cognitive decline and conversion from MCI to dementia. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders. https://doi.org/10.1097/wad.0b013e3181b4f736

Vancouver

Chao LL, Buckley ST, Kornak J, Schuff N, Madison C, Yaffe K, et al. ASL perfusion MRI predicts cognitive decline and conversion from MCI to dementia. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders. 2010. doi:10.1097/wad.0b013e3181b4f736. PMID: 20220321.

BibTeX

@article{chao2010-20220321,
  author  = {Chao, L. L. and Buckley, S. T. and Kornak, J. and Schuff, N. and Madison, C. and Yaffe, K. and Miller, B. L. and Kramer, J. H. and others},
  title   = {{ASL perfusion MRI predicts cognitive decline and conversion from MCI to dementia}},
  journal = {Alzheimer disease and associated disorders},
  year    = {2010},
  doi     = {10.1097/wad.0b013e3181b4f736},
  pmid    = {20220321},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1097/wad.0b013e3181b4f736}
}

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