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Astrocytes: conductors of the Alzheimer disease neuroinflammatory symphony
Medeiros R, LaFerla FM.. Experimental neurology, 2012-10-11
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most prevalent cause of dementia in humans, and the symptoms are commonly manifested after the seventh decade of life. Numerous pathological changes have been described in the postmortem brains of AD patients, including senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, neuroinflammation, synapse loss, and neuronal death. Reactive astrocytes surrounding senile plaques seem to be responsible for the ongoing inflammatory process in the disease through the release of cytokines and other toxic products.
Key findings
- Numerous pathological changes have been described in the postmortem brains of AD patients, including senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, neuroinflammation, synapse loss, and neuronal death.
- Reactive astrocytes surrounding senile plaques seem to be responsible for the ongoing inflammatory process in the disease through the release of cytokines and other toxic products.
- However, little is known about the regulation of these cells in the AD brain.
- Here we discuss the potential translational impact of the recent findings of Carrero and colleagues, published in Experimental Neurology, that shows the underlying molecular mechanism of astrocyte activation in response to β-amyloid (Aβ).
Why it matters
This review discusses how reactive astrocytes surrounding amyloid plaques appear to drive the inflammatory process in Alzheimer's disease through release of cytokines and toxic products. It is a discussion of potential translational approaches and does not report any confirmed treatment, cure or prevention.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
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.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Experimental neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Experimental Neurology: journal h-index 271 (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 | 2013 — 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 | 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 237 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 15.8 citations a year over 15 year(s) since 2013 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 11 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 | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Frank M. LaFerla: h-index 114 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of California, Irvine: institution h-index 1,195 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 23063604) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Medeiros, R., & LaFerla, F. M. (2013). Astrocytes: conductors of the Alzheimer disease neuroinflammatory symphony. Experimental neurology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2012.10.007
Vancouver
Medeiros R, LaFerla FM. Astrocytes: conductors of the Alzheimer disease neuroinflammatory symphony. Experimental neurology. 2013. doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2012.10.007. PMID: 23063604.
BibTeX
@article{medeiros2013-23063604,
author = {Medeiros, R. and LaFerla, F. M.},
title = {{Astrocytes: conductors of the Alzheimer disease neuroinflammatory symphony}},
journal = {Experimental neurology},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1016/j.expneurol.2012.10.007},
pmid = {23063604},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2012.10.007}
}
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