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Differing patterns of temporal atrophy in Alzheimer's disease and semantic dementia
Galton CJ, Patterson K, Graham K, Lambon-Ralph MA, Williams G, Antoun N, Sahakian BJ, Hodges JR.. Neurology, 2001-07-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objective To characterize and quantify the patterns of temporal lobe atrophy in AD vs semantic dementia and to relate the findings to the cognitive profiles. Medial temporal lobe atrophy is well described in AD. In temporal variant frontotemporal dementia (semantic dementia), clinical studies suggest polar and inferolateral temporal atrophy with hippocampal sparing, but quantification is largely lacking. Methods A volumetric method for quantifying multiple temporal structures was applied to 26 patients with probable AD, 18 patients with semantic dementia, and 21 matched control subjects. Results The authors confirmed the expected bilateral hippocampal atrophy in AD relative to controls, with involvement of the amygdala bilaterally and the right parahippocampal gyrus. Contrary to expectations, patients with semantic dementia had asymmetric hippocampal atrophy, more extensive than AD on the left. As predicted, the semantic dementia group showed more severe involvement of the temporal pole bilaterally and the left amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus (including the entorhinal cortex), fusiform gyrus, and the inferior and middle temporal gyri. Performance on semantic association tasks correlated with the size of the left fusiform gyrus, whereas naming appeared to depend upon a wider left temporal network. Episodic memory measures, with the exception of recognition memory for faces, did not correlate with temporal measures. Conclusions Hippocampal atrophy is not specific for AD but is also seen in semantic dementia. Distinguishing the patients with semantic dementia was the severe global but asymmetric (left > right) atrophy of the amygdala, temporal pole, and fusiform and inferolateral temporal gyri. These findings have implications for diagnosis and understanding of the cognitive deficits in AD and semantic dementia.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Galton, C. J., Patterson, K., Graham, K., Lambon-Ralph, M. A., Williams, G., Antoun, N., et al. (2001). Differing patterns of temporal atrophy in Alzheimer's disease and semantic dementia. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.57.2.216
Vancouver
Galton CJ, Patterson K, Graham K, Lambon-Ralph MA, Williams G, Antoun N, et al. Differing patterns of temporal atrophy in Alzheimer's disease and semantic dementia. Neurology. 2001. doi:10.1212/wnl.57.2.216. PMID: 11468305.
BibTeX
@article{galton2001-11468305,
author = {Galton, C. J. and Patterson, K. and Graham, K. and Lambon-Ralph, M. A. and Williams, G. and Antoun, N. and Sahakian, B. J. and Hodges, JR.},
title = {{Differing patterns of temporal atrophy in Alzheimer's disease and semantic dementia}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2001},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.57.2.216},
pmid = {11468305},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.57.2.216}
}
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 8 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.
Key findings
- Results The authors confirmed the expected bilateral hippocampal atrophy in AD relative to controls, with involvement of the amygdala bilaterally and the right parahippocampal gyrus.
- These findings have implications for diagnosis and understanding of the cognitive deficits in AD and semantic dementia.
Why it matters
This study characterized patterns of temporal lobe atrophy in Alzheimer's disease versus semantic dementia and related them to cognitive profiles. It has implications for diagnosis and understanding cognitive deficits, but does not test any treatment, cure or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants26
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 57/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and 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 | 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 | 2001 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 26 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 588 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 21.8 citations a year over 27 year(s) since 2001 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 16.6× 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 51 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author J. R. Hodges: h-index 49 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Cambridge: institution h-index 1,973 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 11468305) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 57 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1212/wnl.57.2.216
- PubMed: 11468305
- Original source →
- Free full text: Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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