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Brain atrophy in 18 patients with Down syndrome: a CT study
Pearlson GD, Warren AC, Starkstein SE, Aylward EH, Kumar AJ, Chase GA, Folstein MF.. AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology, 1990-07-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Individuals with Down syndrome develop neuropathologic and in some cases clinical evidence of Alzheimer disease after age 40. We compared CT scans of 18 Down syndrome subjects, 26-70 years old (seven of whom satisfied criteria for dementia), with 175 screened normal volunteer control subjects for evidence of cortical and subcortical atrophy. CT scans were analyzed as a function of age and cognitive status. The suprasellar cistern ratio, presumed to measure mesial temporal-lobe atrophy (or hypoplasia), was correlated with severity of cognitive impairment, even when age effects were removed. The suprasellar cistern ratio predicted dementia status with an accuracy of greater than 75%. Brain measurements on CT scans showed a distinct pattern of increased abnormality with age in patients with Down syndrome; this differed clearly from that seen in controls.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Pearlson, G. D., Warren, A. C., Starkstein, S. E., Aylward, E. H., Kumar, A. J., Chase, G. A., et al. (1990). Brain atrophy in 18 patients with Down syndrome: a CT study. AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology.
Vancouver
Pearlson GD, Warren AC, Starkstein SE, Aylward EH, Kumar AJ, Chase GA, et al. Brain atrophy in 18 patients with Down syndrome: a CT study. AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology. 1990. PMID: 2142380.
BibTeX
@article{pearlson1990-2142380,
author = {Pearlson, G. D. and Warren, A. C. and Starkstein, S. E. and Aylward, E. H. and Kumar, A. J. and Chase, G. A. and Folstein, M. F.},
title = {{Brain atrophy in 18 patients with Down syndrome: a CT study}},
journal = {AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology},
year = {1990},
pmid = {2142380}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. This record has no DOI, so the citation leaves it out. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- We compared CT scans of 18 Down syndrome subjects, 26-70 years old (seven of whom satisfied criteria for dementia), with 175 screened normal volunteer control subjects for evidence of cortical and subcortical atrophy.
- CT scans were analyzed as a function of age and cognitive status.
- The suprasellar cistern ratio, presumed to measure mesial temporal-lobe atrophy (or hypoplasia), was correlated with severity of cognitive impairment, even when age effects were removed.
- The suprasellar cistern ratio predicted dementia status with an accuracy of greater than 75%.
- Brain measurements on CT scans showed a distinct pattern of increased abnormality with age in patients with Down syndrome; this differed clearly from that seen in controls.
Why it matters
In CT scans of 18 people with Down syndrome, a measure of mesial temporal-lobe atrophy correlated with severity of cognitive impairment and predicted dementia status with accuracy greater than 75%. This is a small imaging study about detecting dementia, not treating, curing or preventing it.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 33/100
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. We have no data on journal's citation record, so that was left out: it earned 32 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 33 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| 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 | 1990 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| 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 | 3 / 7 | Cited 38 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.0 citations a year over 38 year(s) since 1990 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Marshal F. Folstein: h-index 62 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (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 2142380) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 32 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 32 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 33 out of 100. |
| Total | 33 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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