Home › Research › Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
Evaluation of Memory Changes in Patient with Down Syndrome
Marisa Suzuki, Yamini Chennu, Paula Olson, Vic Holmes. SteadFAST Case Reports in PA Studies, 2026-02-24
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Down syndrome is one of the most common chromosomal abnormalities in humans in which an extra copy of chromosome 21 is present. As chromosome 21 carries the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene, this puts patients with Down syndrome at a significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer disease. This case report covers an alert and oriented 44-year-old male patient with Down syndrome who presented to an outpatient neurology clinic with his mother and brother for the evaluation of memory and behavioral changes. His workup was tailored to his unique clinical picture, which involved modifying the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) to fit his intellectual developmental level, obtaining detailed observations from his family members, and opting to order a CT scan of his head instead of an MRI due to the presence of a cardiac pacemaker. Clinicians should be cognizant of the challenges involved in evaluating for signs of dementia in patients with Down syndrome to allow for early detection and timely management.
Key findings
- As chromosome 21 carries the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene, this puts patients with Down syndrome at a significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer disease.
Why it matters
This case report describes evaluating memory changes in a 44-year-old man with Down syndrome, noting that chromosome 21 carries the amyloid precursor protein gene, which raises Alzheimer's risk. It emphasizes the need for tailored assessments to detect dementia early in people with Down syndrome.
Study details
- Study designcase report
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 26/100
Published in a peer-reviewed 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 | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (SteadFAST Case Reports in PA Studies) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | SteadFAST Case Reports in PA Studies: journal h-index 0 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | Design recorded as “case report”, which our rubric does not rank (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 | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 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 | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 0 / 4 | Last-listed author Vic Holmes: h-index 2 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | University of North Texas Health Science Center: institution h-index 276 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 26 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.64918/20.500.12503/33514
- Original source →
- Free full text: SteadFAST Case Reports in PA Studies →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Suzuki, M., Chennu, Y., Olson, P., & Holmes, V. (2026). Evaluation of Memory Changes in Patient with Down Syndrome. SteadFAST Case Reports in PA Studies. https://doi.org/10.64918/20.500.12503/33514
Vancouver
Suzuki M, Chennu Y, Olson P, Holmes V. Evaluation of Memory Changes in Patient with Down Syndrome. SteadFAST Case Reports in PA Studies. 2026. doi:10.64918/20.500.12503/33514.
BibTeX
@article{suzuki2026-869f3368,
author = {Suzuki, Marisa and Chennu, Yamini and Olson, Paula and Holmes, Vic},
title = {{Evaluation of Memory Changes in Patient with Down Syndrome}},
journal = {SteadFAST Case Reports in PA Studies},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.64918/20.500.12503/33514},
url = {https://doi.org/10.64918/20.500.12503/33514}
}
Related studies in Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
Also tagged “down”
527 studies in the library carry the topic tag “down”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 527 tagged studies.