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Cerebral amyloid angiopathy and cognitive function: the HAAS autopsy study
Pfeifer LA, White LR, Ross GW, Petrovitch H, Launer LJ.. Neurology, 2002-06-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objective To investigate the relationship between cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), dementia, and cognitive function in an autopsy sample of 211 Japanese-American men from the population-based Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Methods Starting in 1991, participants were assessed with the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) and diagnosed with dementia (including subtype) based on published criteria. At autopsy, neuropathologists blinded to clinical data examined brains for neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), neuritic plaques (NP), and a number of vascular pathologies, including CAA.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Pfeifer, L. A., White, L. R., Ross, G. W., Petrovitch, H., & Launer, L. J. (2002). Cerebral amyloid angiopathy and cognitive function: the HAAS autopsy study. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.58.11.1629
Vancouver
Pfeifer LA, White LR, Ross GW, Petrovitch H, Launer LJ. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy and cognitive function: the HAAS autopsy study. Neurology. 2002. doi:10.1212/wnl.58.11.1629. PMID: 12058090.
BibTeX
@article{pfeifer2002-12058090,
author = {Pfeifer, L. A. and White, L. R. and Ross, G. W. and Petrovitch, H. and Launer, L. J.},
title = {{Cerebral amyloid angiopathy and cognitive function: the HAAS autopsy study}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.58.11.1629},
pmid = {12058090},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.58.11.1629}
}
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Key findings
- Methods Starting in 1991, participants were assessed with the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) and diagnosed with dementia (including subtype) based on published criteria.
- At autopsy, neuropathologists blinded to clinical data examined brains for neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), neuritic plaques (NP), and a number of vascular pathologies, including CAA.
- CAA was detected by immunostaining for betaA4 amyloid in parenchymal vessels in the neocortex and semiquantitatively rated.
- Linear regression models were used to examine the association of CASI score, dementia subtype, and CAA controlling for age at death, time between CASI administration and death, education, NP and NFT counts, infarcts, hemorrhage, and APOE genotype.
Why it matters
In an autopsy sample of 211 Japanese-American men, this study investigated the relationship between cerebral amyloid angiopathy, dementia, and cognitive function. It is a pathology study of associations and does not test any treatment or prevention.
Study details
- Participants44
- Effect size44.1%; 16.6%; 45.9%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 60/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design 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 | 2002 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 44 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 | 1 / 2 | Blinded or placebo-controlled (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 339 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.0 citations a year over 26 year(s) since 2002 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 8.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 33 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 25 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Lenore J. Launer: h-index 180 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | National Institutes of Health: institution h-index 2,723 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12058090) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 60 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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