Home › Research › Inflammation and the immune system
Inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases
Griffin WS.. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2006-02-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
The decline in mental fitness associated with Alzheimer disease is accompanied by physical changes in the brain, including the development of characteristic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, but the pathogenesis of those changes is not clear. Recent work suggests that the activation of microglia in response to injury, illness, aging, or other causes begins a cascade of events that can best be characterized as an inflammatory process. This cascade is mediated at first by the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 1, which is overexpressed by the activated microglia.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Griffin, W. S. (2006). Inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. The American journal of clinical nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/83.2.470s
Vancouver
Griffin WS. Inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2006. doi:10.1093/ajcn/83.2.470s. PMID: 16470015.
BibTeX
@article{griffin2006-16470015,
author = {Griffin, W. S.},
title = {{Inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases}},
journal = {The American journal of clinical nutrition},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1093/ajcn/83.2.470s},
pmid = {16470015},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/83.2.470s}
}
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.
Key findings
- Recent work suggests that the activation of microglia in response to injury, illness, aging, or other causes begins a cascade of events that can best be characterized as an inflammatory process.
- This cascade is mediated at first by the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 1, which is overexpressed by the activated microglia.
- Through various pathways, interleukin 1 causes neuronal death, which activates more microglia, which in turn release more interleukin 1 in a self-sustaining and self-amplifying fashion.
- Over a period of years, this slow, smoldering inflammation in the brain destroys sufficient neurons to cause the clinical signs of Alzheimer disease.
Why it matters
This review proposes that activated microglia start an inflammatory cascade, first mediated by interleukin 1, that leads to neuronal death and becomes self-sustaining. It is a proposed explanation of how Alzheimer's disease may progress, not a tested treatment or cure.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
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.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The American journal of clinical nutrition) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: journal h-index 499 (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 | 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 | 6 / 7 | Cited 353 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 16.0 citations a year over 22 year(s) since 2006 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 17.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 8 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 26 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author W. Sue T. Griffin: h-index 66 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences: institution h-index 591 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16470015) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/83.2.470s
- PubMed: 16470015
- Original source →
- Free full text: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
8 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Inflammation and the immune system
Also in Inflammation and the immune system
138 studies in the library are filed under Inflammation and the immune system with no topic tag they share with another; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed tour of them. The Inflammation and the immune system hub.