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Cognitive decline in prodromal Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment
Wilson RS, Leurgans SE, Boyle PA, Bennett DA.. Archives of neurology, 2011-03-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective To characterize the course of cognitive decline during the prodromal phase of Alzheimer disease. Design Longitudinal cohort study with up to 16 years of observation. Participants Older persons from 2 studies underwent annual clinical evaluations that included cognitive function testing and clinical classification of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer disease. At baseline, there were 2071 individuals without dementia and 1511 without cognitive impairment. Results During follow-up, 462 persons developed Alzheimer disease (20 with dementia solely due to another condition were excluded). Five to six years before diagnosis, the rate of global cognitive decline accelerated more than 15-fold. The acceleration in cognitive decline occurred slightly earlier for semantic memory (76 months before diagnosis) and working memory (75 months) than other cognitive functions. Mild cognitive impairment was also preceded by years of cognitive decline that began earlier (80 months before diagnosis) and proceeded more rapidly (annual loss of 0.102 unit) in the amnestic than in the nonamnestic (62 months, 0.072 unit) subtype. Conclusion Dementia due to Alzheimer disease is preceded by about 5 to 6 years of accelerated decline in multiple cognitive functions. By contrast, little decline is evident in persons who do not develop Alzheimer disease.
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APA 7th
Wilson, R. S., Leurgans, S. E., Boyle, P. A., & Bennett, D. A. (2011). Cognitive decline in prodromal Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment. Archives of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurol.2011.31
Vancouver
Wilson RS, Leurgans SE, Boyle PA, Bennett DA. Cognitive decline in prodromal Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment. Archives of neurology. 2011. doi:10.1001/archneurol.2011.31. PMID: 21403020.
BibTeX
@article{wilson2011-21403020,
author = {Wilson, R. S. and Leurgans, S. E. and Boyle, P. A. and Bennett, D. A.},
title = {{Cognitive decline in prodromal Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment}},
journal = {Archives of neurology},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1001/archneurol.2011.31},
pmid = {21403020},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurol.2011.31}
}
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Key findings
- Results During follow-up, 462 persons developed Alzheimer disease (20 with dementia solely due to another condition were excluded).
Why it matters
In older adults followed with yearly cognitive testing for up to 16 years, the 462 people who developed Alzheimer's disease showed global cognitive decline that sped up more than 15-fold about 5 to 6 years before diagnosis, starting slightly earlier for semantic and working memory (about 75–76 months before). Decline before mild cognitive impairment began earlier and ran faster in the memory-led (amnestic) type than in the non-memory type (80 vs 62 months before diagnosis). The study describes the timing of decline at the group level. It does not predict individual outcomes, and it tested no treatment or prevention.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants2,071
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 64/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Archives of Neurology: journal h-index 353 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” 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 | 3 / 4 | 2,071 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 344 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 20.2 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 14.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 16 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 66 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author David Alan Bennett: h-index 197 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Rush University Medical Center: institution h-index 670 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21403020) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 64 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1001/archneurol.2011.31
- PubMed: 21403020
- Original source →
- Free full text: Archives of Neurology →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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