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Evidence for reduced somatic T-cell receptor sequence diversity profiles among Midwestern Amish in an aging cohort study
Cruz LA, Liu S, Miskimen KL, Cooke Bailey JN, Kinzy T, Song YE, Laux RA, Miron P et al.. Annals of human genetics, 2026-01-26
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD), the most common form of dementia among older adults, is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by brain amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque deposition and neurofibrillary tangles. The causes of LOAD are not known but several recent lines of evidence implicate the adaptive immune system. Here, we sought to characterize somatic T-cell receptor (TCR) sequence diversity profiles and class I and II human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles from DNA extracted from peripheral tissues from Midwestern Amish participating in longitudinal studies of aging.
Key findings
- The causes of LOAD are not known but several recent lines of evidence implicate the adaptive immune system.
- Here, we sought to characterize somatic T-cell receptor (TCR) sequence diversity profiles and class I and II human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles from DNA extracted from peripheral tissues from Midwestern Amish participating in longitudinal studies of aging.
- We immunosequenced the TCR beta chain from genomic DNA of 72 Midwestern Amish, including participants with clinically diagnosed LOAD (n=6), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n=16), cognitive impairment but not AD (CINAD; n=3), and 35 cognitively unaffected.
- TCR sequence diversity by cognitive status was examined using a variety of metrics, and tests of association were performed between cognitive status and HLA alleles.
Why it matters
This study characterized T-cell receptor sequence diversity and HLA alleles from peripheral tissue DNA of 72 Midwestern Amish participants in longitudinal aging studies, based on evidence implicating the adaptive immune system in late-onset Alzheimer's disease. It is an early immune-focused investigation and does not establish a treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on impact for its field and year, so that was left out: it earned 40 of the 94 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Annals of human genetics) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Annals of Human Genetics: journal h-index 132 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” 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 | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| 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 | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Dana C. Crawford: h-index 65 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Case Western Reserve University: institution h-index 1,159 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 40 / 94 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 40 of the 94 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100. |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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. 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
Cruz, L. A., Liu, S., Miskimen, K. L., Cooke Bailey, J. N., Kinzy, T., Song, Y. E., et al. (2026). Evidence for reduced somatic T-cell receptor sequence diversity profiles among Midwestern Amish in an aging cohort study. Annals of human genetics. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.25.26344754
Vancouver
Cruz LA, Liu S, Miskimen KL, Cooke Bailey JN, Kinzy T, Song YE, et al. Evidence for reduced somatic T-cell receptor sequence diversity profiles among Midwestern Amish in an aging cohort study. Annals of human genetics. 2026. doi:10.64898/2026.01.25.26344754.
BibTeX
@article{cruz2026-7762a1d1,
author = {Cruz, L. A. and Liu, S. and Miskimen, K. L. and Cooke Bailey, J. N. and Kinzy, T. and Song, Y. E. and Laux, R. A. and Miron, P. and others},
title = {{Evidence for reduced somatic T-cell receptor sequence diversity profiles among Midwestern Amish in an aging cohort study}},
journal = {Annals of human genetics},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.64898/2026.01.25.26344754},
url = {https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.25.26344754}
}
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