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45/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 45 out of 100. Cognitive tests and assessment

Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models

Plain-language summary

About one fourth of Lewy body disease (LBD) patients show cortical beta-amyloid load, basically a hallmark of Alzheimer disease (AD). Using [11C]PIB-PET, we tested whether LBD patients with beta-amyloid burden differ from those without with respect to demographic, clinical, biochemical and genetic parameters. Thirty-five LBD subjects (9 patients with Lewy body dementia, DLB; 12 demented Parkinson patients, PDD; 14 non-demented PD, PDND) underwent [11C]PIB-PET, and were classified as either PIB(+) or PIB(-) according to cortical PIB uptake.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Low

This study used brain scans to compare Lewy body disease patients with and without beta-amyloid buildup. It does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Maetzler, W., Liepelt, I., Reimold, M., Reischl, G., Solbach, C., Becker, C., et al. (2009). Cortical PIB binding in Lewy body disease is associated with Alzheimer-like characteristics. Neurobiology of disease. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2008.12.008

Vancouver

Maetzler W, Liepelt I, Reimold M, Reischl G, Solbach C, Becker C, et al. Cortical PIB binding in Lewy body disease is associated with Alzheimer-like characteristics. Neurobiology of disease. 2009. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2008.12.008. PMID: 19162186.

BibTeX

@article{maetzler2009-19162186,
  author  = {Maetzler, W. and Liepelt, I. and Reimold, M. and Reischl, G. and Solbach, C. and Becker, C. and Schulte, C. and Leyhe, T. and others},
  title   = {{Cortical PIB binding in Lewy body disease is associated with Alzheimer-like characteristics}},
  journal = {Neurobiology of disease},
  year    = {2009},
  doi     = {10.1016/j.nbd.2008.12.008},
  pmid    = {19162186},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2008.12.008}
}

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.

How to read this study

Design: our record does not state a study design, so check the methods section of the original before weighing the result.
Size: the record gives no participant count. Look for one in the original before trusting a pattern.
Effect: the record gives no effect size, so the summary above cannot say how large any difference was.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

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Key findings

Using [11C]PIB-PET, we tested whether LBD patients with beta-amyloid burden differ from those without with respect to demographic, clinical, biochemical and genetic parameters.
Thirty-five LBD subjects (9 patients with Lewy body dementia, DLB; 12 demented Parkinson patients, PDD; 14 non-demented PD, PDND) underwent [11C]PIB-PET, and were classified as either PIB(+) or PIB(-) according to cortical PIB uptake.
PIB+ and PIB(-) patients were then compared according to demographic, clinical, biochemical and genetic parameters.
None of the PDND, but four PDD and four DLB subjects were PIB+.

Why it matters

This study used brain scans to compare Lewy body disease patients with and without beta-amyloid buildup. It does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.

Study details

Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 45/100

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 disease)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	Neurobiology of Disease: journal h-index 225 (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	2009 — 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 165 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	3 / 5	8.7 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009
Impact for its field and year	4 / 6	Cited 12.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	3 / 6	Cited by 15 other studies in this library
Still being cited	1 / 4	Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Daniela Berg: h-index 112 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	University of Tübingen: institution h-index 940 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19162186)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	45 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

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