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Human amyloid-beta synthesis and clearance rates as measured in cerebrospinal fluid in vivo
Bateman RJ, Munsell LY, Morris JC, Swarm R, Yarasheski KE, Holtzman DM.. Nature medicine, 2006-06-25
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Certain disease states are characterized by disturbances in production, accumulation or clearance of protein. In Alzheimer disease, accumulation of amyloid-beta (Abeta) in the brain and disease-causing mutations in amyloid precursor protein or in enzymes that produce Abeta indicate dysregulation of production or clearance of Abeta. Whether dysregulation of Abeta synthesis or clearance causes the most common form of Alzheimer disease (sporadic, >99% of cases), however, is not known.
Key findings
- In Alzheimer disease, accumulation of amyloid-beta (Abeta) in the brain and disease-causing mutations in amyloid precursor protein or in enzymes that produce Abeta indicate dysregulation of production or clearance of Abeta.
- Whether dysregulation of Abeta synthesis or clearance causes the most common form of Alzheimer disease (sporadic, >99% of cases), however, is not known.
- Here, we describe a method to determine the production and clearance rates of proteins within the human central nervous system (CNS).
- We report the first measurements of the fractional production and clearance rates of Abeta in vivo in the human CNS to be 7.6% per hour and 8.3% per hour, respectively.
Why it matters
This study describes a method to measure how fast amyloid-beta is produced and cleared in the human central nervous system. It could help researchers understand whether production or clearance problems cause sporadic Alzheimer's disease, but it does not test a treatment.
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Study details
- Effect size7.6%; 8.3%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 58/100
Published in a top-tier journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (Nature medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Nature Medicine: journal h-index 763 (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 | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 | 6 / 7 | Cited 599 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 27.2 citations a year over 22 year(s) since 2006 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 14.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 30 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 78 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author David M. Holtzman: h-index 206 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16799555) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 58 / 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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Bateman, R. J., Munsell, L. Y., Morris, J. C., Swarm, R., Yarasheski, K. E., & Holtzman, D. M. (2006). Human amyloid-beta synthesis and clearance rates as measured in cerebrospinal fluid in vivo. Nature medicine. https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1438
Vancouver
Bateman RJ, Munsell LY, Morris JC, Swarm R, Yarasheski KE, Holtzman DM. Human amyloid-beta synthesis and clearance rates as measured in cerebrospinal fluid in vivo. Nature medicine. 2006. doi:10.1038/nm1438. PMID: 16799555.
BibTeX
@article{bateman2006-16799555,
author = {Bateman, R. J. and Munsell, L. Y. and Morris, J. C. and Swarm, R. and Yarasheski, K. E. and Holtzman, D. M.},
title = {{Human amyloid-beta synthesis and clearance rates as measured in cerebrospinal fluid in vivo}},
journal = {Nature medicine},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1038/nm1438},
pmid = {16799555},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1438}
}
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