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MRI visual rating scales in the diagnosis of dementia: evaluation in 184 post-mortem confirmed cases
Harper L, Fumagalli GG, Barkhof F, Scheltens P, O'Brien JT, Bouwman F, Burton EJ, Rohrer JD et al.. Brain : a journal of neurology, 2016-03-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Additionally, the performance of each scale to predict dementia pathology both individually and in combination was evaluated using a support vector classifier, which was compared with expert scan assessment to estimate clinical value. These results were substantially better than the accuracy of any single scale, at least as good as expert reads, and comparable to previous studies using molecular biomarkers.
Key findings
- Additionally, the performance of each scale to predict dementia pathology both individually and in combination was evaluated using a support vector classifier, which was compared with expert scan assessment to estimate clinical value.
- These results were substantially better than the accuracy of any single scale, at least as good as expert reads, and comparable to previous studies using molecular biomarkers.
Why it matters
This study evaluated MRI visual rating scales for diagnosing dementia in 184 cases confirmed by post-mortem. It found that combining scales predicted dementia pathology better than any single scale and was comparable to molecular biomarkers, but it is about diagnosis, not treating or curing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants184
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 61/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, 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 | 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 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 184 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 265 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 22.1 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 19.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 12 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 74 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jonathan M. Schott: h-index 96 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Oxford: institution h-index 2,205 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 11 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 26936938) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 61 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
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.
APA 7th
Harper, L., Fumagalli, G. G., Barkhof, F., Scheltens, P., O'Brien, J. T., Bouwman, F., et al. (2016). MRI visual rating scales in the diagnosis of dementia: evaluation in 184 post-mortem confirmed cases. Brain : a journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/aww005
Vancouver
Harper L, Fumagalli GG, Barkhof F, Scheltens P, O'Brien JT, Bouwman F, et al. MRI visual rating scales in the diagnosis of dementia: evaluation in 184 post-mortem confirmed cases. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2016. doi:10.1093/brain/aww005. PMID: 26936938.
BibTeX
@article{harper2016-26936938,
author = {Harper, L. and Fumagalli, G. G. and Barkhof, F. and Scheltens, P. and O'Brien, J. T. and Bouwman, F. and Burton, E. J. and Rohrer, J. D. and others},
title = {{MRI visual rating scales in the diagnosis of dementia: evaluation in 184 post-mortem confirmed cases}},
journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1093/brain/aww005},
pmid = {26936938},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/aww005}
}
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