Home › Research › Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
Imaging and plasma biomarkers for pathological accumulation in Down syndrome
Wisch JK, Jiao Z, Kennedy JT, Cohen AD, Schlachetzki Z, Petersen M, Handen BL, Christian BT et al.. Brain : a journal of neurology, 2026-06-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
These results suggest that all adults with Down syndrome should be screened for Alzheimer's disease pathology starting shortly before age 40 years and considered for clinical trials.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Wisch, J. K., Jiao, Z., Kennedy, J. T., Cohen, A. D., Schlachetzki, Z., Petersen, M., et al. (2026). Imaging and plasma biomarkers for pathological accumulation in Down syndrome. Brain : a journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaf418
Vancouver
Wisch JK, Jiao Z, Kennedy JT, Cohen AD, Schlachetzki Z, Petersen M, et al. Imaging and plasma biomarkers for pathological accumulation in Down syndrome. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2026. doi:10.1093/brain/awaf418. PMID: 41205623.
BibTeX
@article{wisch2026-41205623,
author = {Wisch, J. K. and Jiao, Z. and Kennedy, J. T. and Cohen, A. D. and Schlachetzki, Z. and Petersen, M. and Handen, B. L. and Christian, B. T. and others},
title = {{Imaging and plasma biomarkers for pathological accumulation in Down syndrome}},
journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1093/brain/awaf418},
pmid = {41205623},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaf418}
}
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.
Key findings
- These results suggest that all adults with Down syndrome should be screened for Alzheimer's disease pathology starting shortly before age 40 years and considered for clinical trials.
Why it matters
These results suggest that all adults with Down syndrome should be screened for Alzheimer's disease pathology starting shortly before age 40 and considered for clinical trials. No treatment or prevention is tested in this work.
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants328
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 59/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Brain : a journal of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Brain: journal h-index 503 (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 | 2 / 4 | 328 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) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 4 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.5× 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 | 1 / 4 | Cited 4 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Beau M. Ances: h-index 81 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 14 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41205623) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 59 / 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).
Related studies in Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
Also tagged “down”
527 studies in the library carry the topic tag “down”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 527 tagged studies.