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Dementia in Down's syndrome
Ballard C, Mobley W, Hardy J, Williams G, Corbett A.. The Lancet. Neurology, 2016-04-11
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Down's syndrome is the most common genetic cause of learning difficulties, and individuals with this condition represent the largest group of people with dementia under the age of 50 years. Genetic drivers result in a high frequency of Alzheimer's pathology in these individuals, evident from neuroimaging, biomarker, and neuropathological findings, and a high incidence of cognitive decline and dementia. However, cognitive assessment is challenging, and diagnostic methods have not been fully validated for use in these patients; hence, early diagnosis remains difficult.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Ballard, C., Mobley, W., Hardy, J., Williams, G., & Corbett, A. (2016). Dementia in Down's syndrome. The Lancet. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(16)00063-6
Vancouver
Ballard C, Mobley W, Hardy J, Williams G, Corbett A. Dementia in Down's syndrome. The Lancet. Neurology. 2016. doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(16)00063-6. PMID: 27302127.
BibTeX
@article{ballard2016-27302127,
author = {Ballard, C. and Mobley, W. and Hardy, J. and Williams, G. and Corbett, A.},
title = {{Dementia in Down's syndrome}},
journal = {The Lancet. Neurology},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1016/s1474-4422(16)00063-6},
pmid = {27302127},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(16)00063-6}
}
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Key findings
- Genetic drivers result in a high frequency of Alzheimer's pathology in these individuals, evident from neuroimaging, biomarker, and neuropathological findings, and a high incidence of cognitive decline and dementia.
- However, cognitive assessment is challenging, and diagnostic methods have not been fully validated for use in these patients; hence, early diagnosis remains difficult.
- Evidence regarding the benefits of cholinesterase inhibitors and other therapeutic options to treat or delay progressive cognitive decline or dementia is very scarce.
- Despite close similarities with late-onset Alzheimer's disease, individuals with Down's syndrome respond differently to treatment, and a targeted approach to drug development is thus necessary.
Why it matters
People with Down's syndrome have a high frequency of Alzheimer's pathology and a high incidence of cognitive decline and dementia, but early diagnosis remains difficult because cognitive assessment is challenging and diagnostic methods have not been fully validated in these patients. Evidence regarding the benefits of cholinesterase inhibitors and other therapeutic options to treat or delay progression is limited.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 51/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (The Lancet. Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | The Lancet Neurology: journal h-index 457 (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 | 2016 — 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) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 265 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 22.1 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 16.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 24 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 71 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Anne Corbett: h-index 50 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 27302127) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
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