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Elevated basal cortisol level predicts lower hippocampal volume and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease
Huang CW, Lui CC, Chang WN, Lu CH, Wang YL, Chang CC.. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, 2009-06-30
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Elevated glucocorticoid concentrations, decreased hippocampal volume and frontal atrophy with poor cognitive function have been reported in the elderly but not extensively in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We enrolled 172 patients with AD over a 2-year follow-up period. Basal cortisol levels, biochemistry tests and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scores were obtained and hippocampal and frontal atrophy were measured by CT scan for correlation. Basal plasma cortisol levels increased with age. Further, basal plasma cortisol levels were correlated with the radial width of the temporal horn, and elevated levels of plasma cortisol predicted a worse general cognitive performance. Higher plasma cortisol levels also correlated with rapid declines in MMSE scores after 2 years. Bilateral frontal atrophy showed no correlation with the above parameters. The relationship between high cortisol levels and hippocampal atrophy might adversely affect AD patients disproportionately, either in anatomical or cognitive function.
Key findings
- Basal plasma cortisol levels increased with age.
- Further, basal plasma cortisol levels were correlated with the radial width of the temporal horn, and elevated levels of plasma cortisol predicted a worse general cognitive performance.
- Higher plasma cortisol levels also correlated with rapid declines in MMSE scores after 2 years.
- Bilateral frontal atrophy showed no correlation with the above parameters.
- The relationship between high cortisol levels and hippocampal atrophy might adversely affect AD patients disproportionately, either in anatomical or cognitive function.
Study details
- Participants172
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 26 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 45 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| 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 | 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 | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19570680) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 26 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 26 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 45 out of 100. |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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APA 7th
Huang, C. W., Lui, C. C., Chang, W. N., Lu, C. H., Wang, Y. L., & Chang, C. C. (2009). Elevated basal cortisol level predicts lower hippocampal volume and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2008.12.026
Vancouver
Huang CW, Lui CC, Chang WN, Lu CH, Wang YL, Chang CC. Elevated basal cortisol level predicts lower hippocampal volume and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia. 2009. doi:10.1016/j.jocn.2008.12.026. PMID: 19570680.
BibTeX
@article{huang2009-19570680,
author = {Huang, C. W. and Lui, C. C. and Chang, W. N. and Lu, C. H. and Wang, Y. L. and Chang, C. C.},
title = {{Elevated basal cortisol level predicts lower hippocampal volume and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1016/j.jocn.2008.12.026},
pmid = {19570680},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2008.12.026}
}