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Cerebral microhemorrhage and brain β-amyloid in aging and Alzheimer disease
Yates PA, Sirisriro R, Villemagne VL, Farquharson S, Masters CL, Rowe CC, AIBL Research Group.. Neurology, 2011-06-22
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objectives Incidental cerebral microhemorrhage (MH) is frequently found in older individuals scanned with susceptibility-weighted MRI (SWI) or gradient-recalled echo MRI. MH have been linked with β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition using (11)C-Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) PET in Alzheimer disease (AD) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). We hypothesized that Aβ deposition in asymptomatic elderly individuals is associated with lobar MH (LMH). Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 84 elderly healthy controls (HC), 28 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 26 subjects with probable AD who underwent 3-T SWI and (11)C-PiB PET. (11)C-PiB cortical binding was quantified normalized to cerebellar cortex (standardized uptake value ratio [SUVR]) and scans classified as positive (PiB+) or negative (PiB-) by visual inspection. MH were manually counted and categorized by region and as lobar or nonlobar. Results LMH were present in 30.8% of AD, 35.7% of MCI, and 19.1% of HC. The prevalence of LMH among PiB+ subjects was similar, regardless of clinical classification (AD 30.8%, MCI 38.9%, HC 41.4%, p > 0.7). HC with LMH had significantly higher mean neocortical SUVR (1.7 ± 0.5) than HC without LMH (1.3 ± 0.3, p ± 0.01). In HC, there was a positive correlation between number of LMH and SUVR, and between LMH and age. In HC, PiB+ (odds ratio [OR] 7.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-33.7, p = 0.01) and age (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.03-1.3, p = 0.02) both independently predicted the occurrence of LMH using logistic regression. Conclusion Asymptomatic Aβ deposition in older adults is strongly associated with LMH.
Key findings
- We hypothesized that Aβ deposition in asymptomatic elderly individuals is associated with lobar MH (LMH).
- Results LMH were present in 30.8% of AD, 35.7% of MCI, and 19.1% of HC.
- HC with LMH had significantly higher mean neocortical SUVR (1.7 ± 0.5) than HC without LMH (1.3 ± 0.3, p ± 0.01).
- Conclusion Asymptomatic Aβ deposition in older adults is strongly associated with LMH.
Why it matters
Lobar microhemorrhages were present in 30.8% of Alzheimer's disease, 35.7% of mild cognitive impairment, and 19.1% of healthy control subjects, and healthy controls with lobar microhemorrhages had significantly higher mean neocortical amyloid binding. Asymptomatic amyloid deposition in older adults was strongly associated with lobar microhemorrhages.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants28
- Effect size30.8%; 35.7%; 19.1%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 57/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for 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 | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| 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 | 2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 28 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 | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 128 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.5 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 9 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 11 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Christopher Cleon Rowe: h-index 100 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The University of Melbourne: institution h-index 1,342 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21700585) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 57 / 100 | — |
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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. 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.
APA 7th
Yates, P. A., Sirisriro, R., Villemagne, V. L., Farquharson, S., Masters, C. L., Rowe, C. C., et al. (2011). Cerebral microhemorrhage and brain β-amyloid in aging and Alzheimer disease. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0b013e318221ad36
Vancouver
Yates PA, Sirisriro R, Villemagne VL, Farquharson S, Masters CL, Rowe CC, et al. Cerebral microhemorrhage and brain β-amyloid in aging and Alzheimer disease. Neurology. 2011. doi:10.1212/wnl.0b013e318221ad36. PMID: 21700585.
BibTeX
@article{yates2011-21700585,
author = {Yates, P. A. and Sirisriro, R. and Villemagne, V. L. and Farquharson, S. and Masters, C. L. and Rowe, C. C. and {AIBL Research Group}},
title = {{Cerebral microhemorrhage and brain β-amyloid in aging and Alzheimer disease}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0b013e318221ad36},
pmid = {21700585},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0b013e318221ad36}
}
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