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46/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 46 out of 100. Mild cognitive impairment

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Plain-language summary

To clarify the involvement of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in Alzheimer's disease (AD), we analyzed brain volume loss by voxel-based morphometry. Forty patients with non-familial AD and 20 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were recruited and compared to 88 elderly volunteers and 40 young volunteers. Local atrophy with aging was observed bilaterally in the perisylvian opercula, anterior cingulate cortex, caudate head, dorsomedial thalamus and parahippocampal cortex. In addition to those, atrophy in AD patients was observed in the amygdala, hippocampus, subcallosal region, posterior-associated cortices and PCC. We classified AD into four subgroups according to the atrophy pattern; atrophy in the amygdala/hippocampal formations (Hipp), in the Hipp and posterior cortices, in the Hipp and PCC and in the PCC and posterior cortices (PCC/-TOPa). As a result, the probability of PCC/-TOPa was 90% for ages 36 months. PCC atrophy was found in 16 of 40 AD patients and eight of 20 MCI patients. There seemed to be two subgroups with atrophy of the PCC, the one with disease progression and the other without. The latter had characteristic features of early onset and no significant atrophy in the amygdala/anterior hippocampus. There are at least four atrophy patterns that raise doubts about a single disease entity or progression in AD. This may reflect a different hierarchical pattern of progression in patients who have atrophy in PCC and posterior cortices when compared to the Braak staging scheme.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Low

The record lists 20 participants. Using brain scans, this study classified Alzheimer's patients into four subgroups based on patterns of brain shrinkage, including a pattern involving the posterior cingulate cortex that was linked to early onset disease. The authors say these patterns raise doubts about Alzheimer's being a single disease or a single progression path, and no treatment was tested.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Shiino, A., Watanabe, T., Maeda, K., Kotani, E., Akiguchi, I., & Matsuda, M. (2006). Four subgroups of Alzheimer's disease based on patterns of atrophy using VBM and a unique pattern for early onset disease. NeuroImage. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.06.010

Vancouver

Shiino A, Watanabe T, Maeda K, Kotani E, Akiguchi I, Matsuda M. Four subgroups of Alzheimer's disease based on patterns of atrophy using VBM and a unique pattern for early onset disease. NeuroImage. 2006. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.06.010. PMID: 16904912.

BibTeX

@article{shiino2006-16904912,
  author  = {Shiino, A. and Watanabe, T. and Maeda, K. and Kotani, E. and Akiguchi, I. and Matsuda, M.},
  title   = {{Four subgroups of Alzheimer's disease based on patterns of atrophy using VBM and a unique pattern for early onset disease}},
  journal = {NeuroImage},
  year    = {2006},
  doi     = {10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.06.010},
  pmid    = {16904912},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.06.010}
}

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How to read this study

Design: our record does not state a study design, so check the methods section of the original before weighing the result.
Size: the record lists 20 participants. Ask whether that is enough for the question, and who they were.
Effect: the record gives no effect size, so the summary above cannot say how large any difference was.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

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Key findings

Forty patients with non-familial AD and 20 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were recruited and compared to 88 elderly volunteers and 40 young volunteers.
As a result, the probability of PCC/-TOPa was 90% for ages 36 months.
The latter had characteristic features of early onset and no significant atrophy in the amygdala/anterior hippocampus.
This may reflect a different hierarchical pattern of progression in patients who have atrophy in PCC and posterior cortices when compared to the Braak staging scheme.

Why it matters

Using brain scans, this study classified Alzheimer's patients into four subgroups based on patterns of brain shrinkage, including a pattern involving the posterior cingulate cortex that was linked to early onset disease. The authors say these patterns raise doubts about Alzheimer's being a single disease or a single progression path, and no treatment was tested.

Study details

Participants20
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 46/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (NeuroImage)
Journal's citation record	4 / 4	NeuroImage: journal h-index 523 (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	2006 — older than 20 years, still counted
Sample size	1 / 4	20 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)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	5 / 7	Cited 150 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	2 / 5	6.8 citations a year over 22 year(s) since 2006
Impact for its field and year	3 / 6	Cited 4.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	3 / 6	Cited by 12 other studies in this library
Still being cited	1 / 4	Cited 11 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	2 / 4	Last-listed author Masayuki Matsuda: h-index 42 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	0 / 3	Shiga University of Medical Science: institution h-index 344 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16904912)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	46 / 100	—

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