Association Between Midlife Vascular Risk Factors and Estimated Brain Amyloid Deposition
Gottesman RF, Schneider AL, Zhou Y, Coresh J, Green E, Gupta N, Knopman DS, Mintz A et al.. JAMA, 2017-04-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Importance Midlife vascular risk factors have been associated with late-life dementia. Objective To determine if midlife vascular risk factors are associated with late-life brain amyloid deposition, measured using florbetapir positron emission tomography (PET). Results Among 322 participants without dementia and with nonmissing midlife vascular risk factors at baseline (mean age, 52 years; 58% female; 43% black), the SUVR (elevated in 164 [50.9%] participants) was measured more than 20 years later (median follow-up, 23.5 years; interquartile range, 23.0-24.3 years) when participants were between 67 and 88 (mean, 76) years old. Elevated body mass index in midlife was associated with elevated SUVR (odds ratio [OR], 2.06; 95% CI, 1.16-3.65). At baseline, 65 participants had no vascular risk factors, 123 had 1, and 134 had 2 or more; a higher number of midlife risk factors was associated with elevated amyloid SUVR at follow-up (30.8% [n = 20], 50.4% [n = 62], and 61.2% [n = 82], respectively). In adjusted models, compared with 0 midlife vascular risk factors, the OR for elevated SUVR associated with 1 vascular risk factor was 1.88 (95% CI, 0.95-3.72) and for 2 or more vascular risk factors was 2.88 (95% CI, 1.46-5.69). No significant race × risk factor interactions were found. Late-life vascular risk factors were not associated with late-life brain amyloid deposition (for ≥2 late-life vascular risk factors vs 0: OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 0.75-3.69). Conclusions and relevance An increasing number of midlife vascular risk factors was significantly associated with elevated amyloid SUVR; this association was not significant for late-life risk factors. These findings are consistent with a role of vascular disease in the development of Alzheimer disease.
Key findings
- Importance Midlife vascular risk factors have been associated with late-life dementia.
- Objective To determine if midlife vascular risk factors are associated with late-life brain amyloid deposition, measured using florbetapir positron emission tomography (PET).
- Results Among 322 participants without dementia and with nonmissing midlife vascular risk factors at baseline (mean age, 52 years; 58% female; 43% black), the SUVR (elevated in 164 [50.9%] participants) was measured more than 20 years later (median follow-up, 23.5 years; interquartile range, 23.0-24.3 years) when participants were between 67 and 88 (mean, 76) years old.
- Elevated body mass index in midlife was associated with elevated SUVR (odds ratio [OR], 2.06; 95% CI, 1.16-3.65).
- At baseline, 65 participants had no vascular risk factors, 123 had 1, and 134 had 2 or more; a higher number of midlife risk factors was associated with elevated amyloid SUVR at follow-up (30.8% [n = 20], 50.4% [n = 62], and 61.2% [n = 82], respectively).
Why it matters
Among 322 people without dementia who were followed for a median of 23.5 years, those with two or more vascular risk factors in midlife (mean age 52) were more likely to have elevated amyloid on a florbetapir PET brain scan later in life: 61.2% did, compared with 30.8% of those with none (adjusted odds ratio 2.88; 95% CI 1.46–5.69). The same link was not statistically clear for risk factors measured in late life. The authors say this is "consistent with a role of vascular disease in the development of Alzheimer disease". The study is observational and measured amyloid on scans, not dementia, so it does not show that treating these risk factors prevents Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Genetics →
Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants20
- Effect size50.9%; 30.8%; 50.4%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 75/100
Published in a top-tier journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (JAMA) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | JAMA: journal h-index 1,011 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following 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 | 2 / 5 | 2017 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 20 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 | 6 / 7 | Cited 652 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 59.3 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 47.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 67 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 196 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Thomas H. Mosley: h-index 94 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 28399252) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 75 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — PubMed Central lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
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
Gottesman, R. F., Schneider, A. L., Zhou, Y., Coresh, J., Green, E., Gupta, N., et al. (2017). Association Between Midlife Vascular Risk Factors and Estimated Brain Amyloid Deposition. JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.3090
Vancouver
Gottesman RF, Schneider AL, Zhou Y, Coresh J, Green E, Gupta N, et al. Association Between Midlife Vascular Risk Factors and Estimated Brain Amyloid Deposition. JAMA. 2017. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.3090. PMID: 28399252.
BibTeX
@article{gottesman2017-28399252,
author = {Gottesman, R. F. and Schneider, A. L. and Zhou, Y. and Coresh, J. and Green, E. and Gupta, N. and Knopman, D. S. and Mintz, A. and others},
title = {{Association Between Midlife Vascular Risk Factors and Estimated Brain Amyloid Deposition}},
journal = {JAMA},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1001/jama.2017.3090},
pmid = {28399252},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.3090}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 14.
Later studies that cite this one
67 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Genetics
Also tagged “biobank”
1,084 studies in the library carry the topic tag “biobank”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,084 tagged studies.