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In vivo changes in microglial activation and amyloid deposits in brain regions with hypometabolism in Alzheimer's disease
Yokokura M, Mori N, Yagi S, Yoshikawa E, Kikuchi M, Yoshihara Y, Wakuda T, Sugihara G et al.. European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, 2010-09-16
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Purpose Amyloid β protein (Aβ) is known as a pathological substance in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is assumed to coexist with a degree of activated microglia in the brain. However, it remains unclear whether these two events occur in parallel with characteristic hypometabolism in AD in vivo. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the in vivo relationship between Aβ accumulation and neuroinflammation in those specific brain regions in early AD. Methods Eleven nootropic drug-naïve AD patients underwent a series of positron emission tomography (PET) measurements with [(11)C](R)PK11195, [(11)C]PIB and [(18)F]FDG and a battery of cognitive tests within the same day. The binding potentials (BPs) of [(11)C](R)PK11195 were directly compared with those of [(11)C]PIB in the brain regions with reduced glucose metabolism. Results BPs of [(11)C](R)PK11195 and [(11)C]PIB were significantly higher in the parietotemporal regions of AD patients than in ten healthy controls. In AD patients, there was a negative correlation between dementia score and [(11)C](R)PK11195 BPs, but not [(11)C]PIB, in the limbic, precuneus and prefrontal regions. Direct comparisons showed a significant negative correlation between [(11)C](R)PK11195 and [(11)C]PIB BPs in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) (p Conclusion A lack of coupling between microglial activation and amyloid deposits may indicate that Aβ accumulation shown by [(11)C]PIB is not always the primary cause of microglial activation, but rather the negative correlation present in the PCC suggests that microglia can show higher activation during the production of Aβ in early AD.
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APA 7th
Yokokura, M., Mori, N., Yagi, S., Yoshikawa, E., Kikuchi, M., Yoshihara, Y., et al. (2011). In vivo changes in microglial activation and amyloid deposits in brain regions with hypometabolism in Alzheimer's disease. European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-010-1612-0
Vancouver
Yokokura M, Mori N, Yagi S, Yoshikawa E, Kikuchi M, Yoshihara Y, et al. In vivo changes in microglial activation and amyloid deposits in brain regions with hypometabolism in Alzheimer's disease. European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. 2011. doi:10.1007/s00259-010-1612-0. PMID: 20844871.
BibTeX
@article{yokokura2011-20844871,
author = {Yokokura, M. and Mori, N. and Yagi, S. and Yoshikawa, E. and Kikuchi, M. and Yoshihara, Y. and Wakuda, T. and Sugihara, G. and others},
title = {{In vivo changes in microglial activation and amyloid deposits in brain regions with hypometabolism in Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1007/s00259-010-1612-0},
pmid = {20844871},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-010-1612-0}
}
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
- The binding potentials (BPs) of [(11)C](R)PK11195 were directly compared with those of [(11)C]PIB in the brain regions with reduced glucose metabolism.
- Results BPs of [(11)C](R)PK11195 and [(11)C]PIB were significantly higher in the parietotemporal regions of AD patients than in ten healthy controls.
- Direct comparisons showed a significant negative correlation between [(11)C](R)PK11195 and [(11)C]PIB BPs in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) (p < 0.05, corrected) that manifested the most severe reduction in [(18)F]FDG uptake.
Why it matters
Using PET scans in eleven people with early Alzheimer's and ten healthy controls, researchers found that both microglial activation (the brain's immune cells switching on) and amyloid deposits were higher in parietotemporal regions of patients. Dementia scores correlated with microglial activation but not with amyloid, and in the posterior cingulate cortex the two markers were negatively correlated. The authors suggest amyloid build-up is not always the primary cause of microglial activation in early Alzheimer's.
Study details
- Study designclinical trial
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging: journal h-index 224 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | Design recorded as “clinical trial”, which our rubric does not rank (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 | 2011 — 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 | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 175 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 10.3 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 17 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 17 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Yasuomi Ouchi: h-index 51 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Kanazawa University: institution h-index 511 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 20844871) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1007/s00259-010-1612-0
- PubMed: 20844871
- Original source →
- Free full text: HamaMed-Repository (Hamamatsu University School of Medicine) →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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