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Cerebrospinal fluid cortisol and clinical disease progression in MCI and dementia of Alzheimer's type
Popp J, Wolfsgruber S, Heuser I, Peters O, Hüll M, Schröder J, Möller HJ, Lewczuk P et al.. Neurobiology of aging, 2014-10-31
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Increased peripheral and central nervous system cortisol levels have been reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may reflect dysfunction of cerebral components of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. However, brain exposure to high cortisol concentrations may also accelerate disease progression and cognitive decline. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether HPA-axis dysregulation occurs at early clinical stages of AD and whether plasma and CSF cortisol levels are associated with clinical disease progression. Morning plasma and CSF cortisol concentrations were obtained from the subjects with AD dementia, mild cognitive impairment of AD type (MCI-AD), MCI of other type (MCI-O), and controls with normal cognition included in a multicenter study from the German Dementia Competence Network. A clinical and neuropsychological follow-up was performed in a subgroup of participants with MCI-AD, MCI-O, and AD dementia. CSF cortisol concentrations were increased in the subjects with AD dementia or MCI-AD compared with subjects with MCI-O or normal cognition. After controlling for possible confounders including CSF measures of amyloid beta1-42 and total tau, higher baseline CSF cortisol levels were associated with faster clinical worsening and cognitive decline in MCI-AD. The findings suggest that HPA-axis dysregulation occurs at the MCI stage of AD and may accelerate disease progression and cognitive decline.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Popp, J., Wolfsgruber, S., Heuser, I., Peters, O., Hüll, M., Schröder, J., et al. (2015). Cerebrospinal fluid cortisol and clinical disease progression in MCI and dementia of Alzheimer's type. Neurobiology of aging. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.10.031
Vancouver
Popp J, Wolfsgruber S, Heuser I, Peters O, Hüll M, Schröder J, et al. Cerebrospinal fluid cortisol and clinical disease progression in MCI and dementia of Alzheimer's type. Neurobiology of aging. 2015. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.10.031. PMID: 25435336.
BibTeX
@article{popp2015-25435336,
author = {Popp, J. and Wolfsgruber, S. and Heuser, I. and Peters, O. and Hüll, M. and Schröder, J. and Möller, H. J. and Lewczuk, P. and others},
title = {{Cerebrospinal fluid cortisol and clinical disease progression in MCI and dementia of Alzheimer's type}},
journal = {Neurobiology of aging},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.10.031},
pmid = {25435336},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.10.031}
}
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.
Key findings
- The objectives of this study were to investigate whether HPA-axis dysregulation occurs at early clinical stages of AD and whether plasma and CSF cortisol levels are associated with clinical disease progression.
- CSF cortisol concentrations were increased in the subjects with AD dementia or MCI-AD compared with subjects with MCI-O or normal cognition.
- After controlling for possible confounders including CSF measures of amyloid beta1-42 and total tau, higher baseline CSF cortisol levels were associated with faster clinical worsening and cognitive decline in MCI-AD.
- The findings suggest that HPA-axis dysregulation occurs at the MCI stage of AD and may accelerate disease progression and cognitive decline.
Why it matters
Cerebrospinal fluid cortisol was higher in people with Alzheimer's dementia or MCI of Alzheimer's type than in other groups, and higher baseline levels were associated with faster clinical worsening in MCI of Alzheimer's type. This is an observational study of a marker and does not show that lowering cortisol treats, cures, or prevents the disease.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neurobiology of aging) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Neurobiology of Aging: journal h-index 263 (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 | 2015 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| 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) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 169 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.0 citations a year over 13 year(s) since 2015 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 7 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 38 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Frank Jessen: h-index 101 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Heidelberg University: institution h-index 1,344 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 17 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 25435336) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.10.031
- PubMed: 25435336
- Original source →
- Free full text: Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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