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Frequent Amyloid Deposition Without Significant Cognitive Impairment Among the Elderly
Howard Jay Aizenstein, Robert D. Nebes, Judith A. Saxton, Julie C. Price, Chester A. Mathis, Nicholas D. Tsopelas, Scott K. Ziolko, Jeffrey A. James, Beth Ellen Snitz, Patricia R. Houck, Wenzhu Bi, Ann D. Cohen, Brian J. Lopresti, Steven T. DeKosky, Edythe M. Halligan, William E. Klunk. Archives of Neurology, 2008-11-10
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the prevalence of amyloid deposition in a clinically unimpaired elderly population, as assessed by Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, and its relationship to cognitive function, measured with a battery of neuropsychological tests. DESIGN: Subjects underwent cognitive testing and PiB PET imaging (15 mCi for 90 minutes with an ECAT HR+ scanner). Logan graphical analysis was applied to estimate regional PiB retention distribution volume, normalized to a cerebellar reference region volume, to yield distribution volume ratios (DVRs). SETTING: University medical center. PARTICIPANTS: From a community-based sample of volunteers, 43 participants aged 65 to 88 years who did not meet diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer disease or mild cognitive impairment were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Regional PiB retention and cognitive test performance. RESULTS: Of 43 clinically unimpaired elderly persons imaged, 9 (21%) showed evidence of early amyloid deposition in at least 1 brain area using an objectively determined DVR cutoff. Demographic characteristics did not differ significantly between amyloid-positive and amyloid-negative participants, and neurocognitive performance was not significantly worse among amyloid-positive compared with amyloid-negative participants. CONCLUSIONS: Amyloid deposition can be identified among cognitively normal elderly persons during life, and the prevalence of asymptomatic amyloid deposition may be similar to that of symptomatic amyloid deposition. In this group of participants without clinically significant impairment, amyloid deposition was not associated with worse cognitive function, suggesting that an elderly person with a significant amyloid burden can remain cognitively normal. However, this finding is based on relatively small numbers and needs to be replicated in larger cohorts. Longitudinal follow-up of these subjects will be required to support the potential of PiB imaging to identify preclinical Alzheimer disease, or, alternatively, to show that amyloid deposition is not sufficient to cause Alzheimer disease within some specified period.
Why it matters
Of 43 older adults without cognitive impairment scanned with PiB PET, 9 (21%) showed early amyloid buildup in at least one brain area, and their thinking test results were not significantly worse than those without amyloid. The authors note the numbers are small and the finding needs to be repeated in larger groups.
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How this study scored 54/100
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. We have no data on strength of evidence, so that was left out: it earned 51 of the 95 points we could judge it on, which is 54 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Archives of Neurology: journal h-index 353 (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 | — / 5 | No evidence rating recorded — left out of this score |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2008 — within 20 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 | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,058 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 52.9 citations a year over 20 year(s) since 2008 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 42.9× 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 | 3 / 4 | Cited 112 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author William E. Klunk: h-index 108 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Pittsburgh: institution h-index 1,470 (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 19001171) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 51 / 95 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 51 of the 95 points we could judge it on is 54 out of 100. |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1001/archneur.65.11.1509
- PubMed: 19001171
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
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 names 16 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Aizenstein, H. J., Nebes, R. D., Saxton, J. A., Price, J. C., Mathis, C. A., Tsopelas, N. D., et al. (2008). Frequent Amyloid Deposition Without Significant Cognitive Impairment Among the Elderly. Archives of Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.65.11.1509
Vancouver
Aizenstein HJ, Nebes RD, Saxton JA, Price JC, Mathis CA, Tsopelas ND, et al. Frequent Amyloid Deposition Without Significant Cognitive Impairment Among the Elderly. Archives of Neurology. 2008. doi:10.1001/archneur.65.11.1509. PMID: 19001171.
BibTeX
@article{aizenstein2008-19001171,
author = {Aizenstein, Howard Jay and Nebes, Robert D. and Saxton, Judith A. and Price, Julie C. and Mathis, Chester A. and Tsopelas, Nicholas D. and Ziolko, Scott K. and James, Jeffrey A. and Snitz, Beth Ellen and Houck, Patricia R. and Bi, Wenzhu and Cohen, Ann D. and Lopresti, Brian J. and DeKosky, Steven T. and Halligan, Edythe M. and Klunk, William E.},
title = {{Frequent Amyloid Deposition Without Significant Cognitive Impairment Among the Elderly}},
journal = {Archives of Neurology},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1001/archneur.65.11.1509},
pmid = {19001171},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.65.11.1509}
}
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