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Brain β-amyloid load approaches a plateau
Jack CR, Wiste HJ, Lesnick TG, Weigand SD, Knopman DS, Vemuri P, Pankratz VS, Senjem ML et al.. Neurology, 2013-02-27
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objective To model the temporal trajectory of β-amyloid accumulation using serial amyloid PET imaging. Methods Participants, aged 70-92 years, were enrolled in either the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (n = 246) or the Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (n = 14). All underwent 2 or more serial amyloid PET examinations. There were 205 participants classified as cognitively normal and 55 as cognitively impaired (47 mild cognitive impairment and 8 Alzheimer dementia). We measured baseline amyloid PET-relative standardized uptake values (SUVR) and, for each participant, estimated a slope representing their annual amyloid accumulation rate. We then fit regression models to predict the rate of amyloid accumulation given baseline amyloid SUVR, and evaluated age, sex, clinical group, and APOE as covariates. Finally, we integrated the amyloid accumulation rate vs baseline amyloid PET SUVR association to an amyloid PET SUVR vs time association. Results Rates of amyloid accumulation were low at low baseline SUVR. Rates increased to a maximum at baseline SUVR around 2.0, above which rates declined-reaching zero at baseline SUVR above 2.7. The rate of amyloid accumulation as a function of baseline SUVR had an inverted U shape. Integration produced a sigmoid curve relating amyloid PET SUVR to time. The average estimated time required to travel from an SUVR of 1.5-2.5 is approximately 15 years. Conclusion This roughly 15-year interval where the slope of the amyloid SUVR vs time curve is greatest and roughly linear represents a large therapeutic window for secondary preventive interventions.
Key findings
- Results Rates of amyloid accumulation were low at low baseline SUVR.
Why it matters
Using serial amyloid PET scans, this study found that the rate of amyloid accumulation was low at low baseline levels, peaked around a certain level, and then declined toward zero. This describes how amyloid buildup changes over time and does not test any treatment or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants246
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 60/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (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 | 2 / 4 | 246 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 | 6 / 7 | Cited 405 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 27.0 citations a year over 15 year(s) since 2013 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 21.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 50 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 79 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Ronald Carl Petersen: h-index 209 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Mayo Clinic: institution h-index 1,606 (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 23446680) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 60 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0b013e3182840bbe
- PubMed: 23446680
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
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
Jack, C. R., Wiste, H. J., Lesnick, T. G., Weigand, S. D., Knopman, D. S., Vemuri, P., et al. (2013). Brain β-amyloid load approaches a plateau. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0b013e3182840bbe
Vancouver
Jack CR, Wiste HJ, Lesnick TG, Weigand SD, Knopman DS, Vemuri P, et al. Brain β-amyloid load approaches a plateau. Neurology. 2013. doi:10.1212/wnl.0b013e3182840bbe. PMID: 23446680.
BibTeX
@article{jack2013-23446680,
author = {Jack, C. R. and Wiste, H. J. and Lesnick, T. G. and Weigand, S. D. and Knopman, D. S. and Vemuri, P. and Pankratz, V. S. and Senjem, M. L. and others},
title = {{Brain β-amyloid load approaches a plateau}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0b013e3182840bbe},
pmid = {23446680},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0b013e3182840bbe}
}
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