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64/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 64 out of 100. Long-term cohort studies

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Plain-language summary

The heterogeneity of Alzheimer's disease contributes to the high failure rate of prior clinical trials. We analyzed 5-year longitudinal outcomes and biomarker data from 562 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from two national studies (ADNI) using a novel multilayer clustering algorithm. The algorithm identified homogenous clusters of MCI subjects with markedly different prognostic cognitive trajectories.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Moderate

This is a follow-up (cohort) study of 562 participants. This analysis used a clustering algorithm on 5-year data from 562 people with mild cognitive impairment to identify groups with different cognitive trajectories. It describes prognostic clusters, not a treatment, cure or prevention.

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

Gamberger, D., Lavrač, N., Srivatsa, S., Tanzi, R. E., & Doraiswamy, P. M. (2017). Identification of clusters of rapid and slow decliners among subjects at risk for Alzheimer's disease. Scientific reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06624-y

Vancouver

Gamberger D, Lavrač N, Srivatsa S, Tanzi RE, Doraiswamy PM. Identification of clusters of rapid and slow decliners among subjects at risk for Alzheimer's disease. Scientific reports. 2017. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-06624-y. PMID: 28755001.

BibTeX

@article{gamberger2017-28755001,
  author  = {Gamberger, D. and Lavrač, N. and Srivatsa, S. and Tanzi, R. E. and Doraiswamy, P. M.},
  title   = {{Identification of clusters of rapid and slow decliners among subjects at risk for Alzheimer's disease}},
  journal = {Scientific reports},
  year    = {2017},
  doi     = {10.1038/s41598-017-06624-y},
  pmid    = {28755001},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06624-y}
}

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.

How to read this study

Design: this is a follow-up (cohort) study. People are observed over time and not assigned to anything, so an association can reflect other differences between groups. Look at how long follow-up lasted, how many dropped out, and whether the authors adjusted for age, education and other health conditions.
Size: the record lists 562 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 moderate. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Moderate means the abstract mentions a cohort, case-control or longitudinal design. 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.

New to reading papers? Six questions to ask of any Alzheimer’s study · how we score.

Key findings

We analyzed 5-year longitudinal outcomes and biomarker data from 562 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from two national studies (ADNI) using a novel multilayer clustering algorithm.
The algorithm identified homogenous clusters of MCI subjects with markedly different prognostic cognitive trajectories.
A cluster of 240 rapid decliners had 2-fold greater atrophy and progressed to dementia at almost 5 times the rate of a cluster of 184 slow decliners.
A classifier for identifying rapid decliners in one study showed high sensitivity and specificity in the second study.

Why it matters

This analysis used a clustering algorithm on 5-year data from 562 people with mild cognitive impairment to identify groups with different cognitive trajectories. It describes prognostic clusters, not a treatment, cure or prevention.

Study details

Study designlongitudinal study
Participants562
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 64/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Scientific reports)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Scientific Reports: journal h-index 463 (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	2 / 5	2017 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	562 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	4 / 7	Cited 96 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	3 / 5	8.7 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017
Impact for its field and year	3 / 6	Cited 4.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	2 / 6	Cited by 4 other studies in this library
Still being cited	2 / 4	Cited 27 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Pudugramam Murali Doraiswamy: h-index 105 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	3 / 3	Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 3 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 28755001)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	64 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

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