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69/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 69 out of 100. TREM2 and immune genetics

Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models

Plain-language summary

TREM and TREM-like receptors are a structurally similar protein family encoded by genes clustered on chromosome 6p21.11. Recent studies have identified a rare coding variant (p.R47H) in TREM2 that confers a high risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition, common single nucleotide polymorphisms in this genomic region are associated with cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for AD and a common intergenic variant found near the TREML2 gene has been identified to be protective for AD.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: High

This is a pooled review. This meta-analysis examined a missense variant in TREML2 and reported that it protects against Alzheimer's disease. It identifies a genetic factor linked to disease risk but does not test any treatment or prevention in people.

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

Benitez, B. A., Jin, S. C., Guerreiro, R., Graham, R., Lord, J., Harold, D., et al. (2014). Missense variant in TREML2 protects against Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiology of aging. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.12.010

Vancouver

Benitez BA, Jin SC, Guerreiro R, Graham R, Lord J, Harold D, et al. Missense variant in TREML2 protects against Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiology of aging. 2014. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.12.010. PMID: 24439484.

BibTeX

@article{benitez2014-24439484,
  author  = {Benitez, B. A. and Jin, S. C. and Guerreiro, R. and Graham, R. and Lord, J. and Harold, D. and Sims, R. and Lambert, J. C. and others},
  title   = {{Missense variant in TREML2 protects against Alzheimer's disease}},
  journal = {Neurobiology of aging},
  year    = {2014},
  doi     = {10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.12.010},
  pmid    = {24439484},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.12.010}
}

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How to read this study

Design: this is a pooled review. It combines earlier studies, so it is only as good as the studies it pools. Check how many were included, whether they were similar enough to combine, and whether the authors report inconsistency between them.
Size: the record gives no participant count. Look for one in the original before trusting a pattern.
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 high. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. High means the abstract mentions a randomized design, a meta-analysis or a systematic review. 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.

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Key findings

Recent studies have identified a rare coding variant (p.R47H) in TREM2 that confers a high risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
In addition, common single nucleotide polymorphisms in this genomic region are associated with cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for AD and a common intergenic variant found near the TREML2 gene has been identified to be protective for AD.
However, little is known about the functional variant underlying the latter association or its relationship with the p.R47H.
Here, we report comprehensive analyses using whole-exome sequencing data, cerebrospinal fluid biomarker analyses, meta-analyses (16,254 cases and 20,052 controls) and cell-based functional studies to support the role of the TREML2 coding missense variant p.S144G (rs3747742) as a potential driver of the meta-analysis AD-associated genome-wide association studies signal.

Why it matters

This meta-analysis examined a missense variant in TREML2 and reported that it protects against Alzheimer's disease. It identifies a genetic factor linked to disease risk but does not test any treatment or prevention in people.

New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Genetics →

Study details

Study designmeta-analysis
Evidence strengthHigh

How this study scored 69/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a meta-analysis pooling many studies. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported and studied in people because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neurobiology of aging)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Neurobiology of Aging: journal h-index 263 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	12 / 12	A meta-analysis pooling many studies
Strength of evidence	5 / 5	Rated “high” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	1 / 5	2014 — 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	0 / 3	Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	A review of other studies — randomization is not credited here
Times cited	5 / 7	Cited 124 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	3 / 5	8.9 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014
Impact for its field and year	4 / 6	Cited 8.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	4 / 6	Cited by 31 other studies in this library
Still being cited	1 / 4	Cited 11 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Carlos C Cruchaga: h-index 102 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	3 / 3	National Institutes of Health: institution h-index 2,723 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	3 / 3	OpenAlex lists 21 institution(s) in 3 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 24439484)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	69 / 100	—

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

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