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Bone density and brain atrophy in early Alzheimer's disease
Loskutova N, Honea RA, Vidoni ED, Brooks WM, Burns JM.. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 2009-01-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Studies suggest a link between bone loss and Alzheimer's disease. To examine bone mineral density (BMD) in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its relationship to brain structure and cognition, we evaluated 71 patients with early stage AD (Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) 0.5 and 1) and 69 non-demented elderly control participants (CDR 0). Measures included whole body BMD by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and normalized whole brain volumes computed from structural MRI scans. Cognition was assessed with a standard neuropsychological test battery. Mean BMD was lower in the early AD group (1.11 +/- 0.13) compared to the non-demented control group (1.16 +/- 0.12, p = 0.02), independent of age, gender, habitual physical activity, smoking, depression, estrogen replacement, and apolipoprotein E4 carrier status. In the early AD group, BMD was related to whole brain volume (b = 0.18, p = 0.03). BMD was also associated with cognitive performance, primarily in tests of memory (logical memory [b = 0.15, p = 0.04], delayed logical memory [b = 0.16, p = 0.02], and the selective reminding task - free recall [b = 0.18, p = 0.009]). BMD is reduced in the earliest clinical stages of AD and associated with brain atrophy and memory decline, suggesting that central mechanisms may contribute to bone loss in early AD.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Loskutova, N., Honea, R. A., Vidoni, E. D., Brooks, W. M., & Burns, J. M. (2009). Bone density and brain atrophy in early Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-2009-1185
Vancouver
Loskutova N, Honea RA, Vidoni ED, Brooks WM, Burns JM. Bone density and brain atrophy in early Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. 2009. doi:10.3233/jad-2009-1185. PMID: 19661621.
BibTeX
@article{loskutova2009-19661621,
author = {Loskutova, N. and Honea, R. A. and Vidoni, E. D. and Brooks, W. M. and Burns, J. M.},
title = {{Bone density and brain atrophy in early Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.3233/jad-2009-1185},
pmid = {19661621},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-2009-1185}
}
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Key findings
- Mean BMD was lower in the early AD group (1.11 +/- 0.13) compared to the non-demented control group (1.16 +/- 0.12, p = 0.02), independent of age, gender, habitual physical activity, smoking, depression, estrogen replacement, and apolipoprotein E4 carrier status.
- BMD was also associated with cognitive performance, primarily in tests of memory (logical memory [b = 0.15, p = 0.04], delayed logical memory [b = 0.16, p = 0.02], and the selective reminding task - free recall [b = 0.18, p = 0.009]).
- BMD is reduced in the earliest clinical stages of AD and associated with brain atrophy and memory decline, suggesting that central mechanisms may contribute to bone loss in early AD.
Why it matters
People in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease had lower bone mineral density than non-demented controls, and lower bone density related to smaller brain volume and worse memory. This suggests a link between bone loss and early Alzheimer's, but it is an association and does not show that treating bone loss affects the disease.
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Study details
- Participants71
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
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 (Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Alzheimer s Disease: journal h-index 218 (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 | 2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 71 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 118 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 6.2 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 34 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jeffrey Murray Burns: h-index 83 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Kansas: institution h-index 709 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19661621) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
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