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Early onset Alzheimer's disease is associated with a distinct neuropsychological profile
Smits LL, Pijnenburg YA, Koedam EL, van der Vlies AE, Reuling IE, Koene T, Teunissen CE, Scheltens P et al.. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 2012-01-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer's disease (AD) in younger patients is associated with a higher prevalence of atypical symptoms. We examined neuropsychological performance according to age-at-onset. We assessed cognition in 172 patients with AD (81 early and 91 late onset) in five cognitive domains (memory, language, visuo-spatial functioning, executive functioning, attention).
Key findings
- We examined neuropsychological performance according to age-at-onset.
- We assessed cognition in 172 patients with AD (81 early and 91 late onset) in five cognitive domains (memory, language, visuo-spatial functioning, executive functioning, attention).
- Dementia severity was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and global cognitive decline using Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMCOG).
- Analyses of variance were performed with age-at-onset as between-subjects factor, and gender and education as covariates.
Why it matters
This study compared cognitive performance in people with early-onset versus late-onset Alzheimer's disease and found that early-onset disease is associated with a distinct profile. It is about describing differences in symptoms, not about treating, curing or preventing the disease.
Study details
- Participants172
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 49/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Alzheimer s Disease: journal h-index 218 (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 | 2012 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 172 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 182 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 11.4 citations a year over 16 year(s) since 2012 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 12.5× 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 19 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Wiesje M. van der Flier: h-index 132 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: institution h-index 938 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 22366769) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 49 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
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.
APA 7th
Smits, L. L., Pijnenburg, Y. A., Koedam, E. L., van der Vlies, A. E., Reuling, I. E., Koene, T., et al. (2012). Early onset Alzheimer's disease is associated with a distinct neuropsychological profile. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-2012-111934
Vancouver
Smits LL, Pijnenburg YA, Koedam EL, van der Vlies AE, Reuling IE, Koene T, et al. Early onset Alzheimer's disease is associated with a distinct neuropsychological profile. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. 2012. doi:10.3233/jad-2012-111934. PMID: 22366769.
BibTeX
@article{smits2012-22366769,
author = {Smits, L. L. and Pijnenburg, Y. A. and Koedam, E. L. and van der Vlies, A. E. and Reuling, I. E. and Koene, T. and Teunissen, C. E. and Scheltens, P. and others},
title = {{Early onset Alzheimer's disease is associated with a distinct neuropsychological profile}},
journal = {Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.3233/jad-2012-111934},
pmid = {22366769},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-2012-111934}
}
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