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Neocortical cholinergic neurons in elderly people
White P, Hiley CR, Goodhardt MJ, Carrasco LH, Keet JP, Williams IE, Bowen DM.. Lancet (London, England), 1977-03-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Choline acetyltransferase activity (presynaptic cholinergic system) and high affinity binding of cholinergic antagonists (postsynaptic cholinergic system) were measured in brain tissue removed after death from both mentally normal and demented old people. Muscarinic receptor binding sites in frontal cortex decreased with advancing years only in old people without appreciable morphological evidence of senile degeration. Preliminary data for temporal lobe suggested that also in Pick's disease the density of receptor binding sites is reduced. The markers are not significantly reduced in cases of mixed senile and vascular dementia. However, in non-vascular senile dementia of the Alzheimer type, there were indications that the presynaptic marker is selectively depleted. Therefore, centrally acting anticholinesterases might be beneficial, particularly in the early stages of the disease.
Key findings
- Preliminary data for temporal lobe suggested that also in Pick's disease the density of receptor binding sites is reduced.
- The markers are not significantly reduced in cases of mixed senile and vascular dementia.
Why it matters
In postmortem brain tissue, presynaptic cholinergic markers appeared selectively reduced in non-vascular senile dementia of the Alzheimer type, while markers were not significantly reduced in mixed senile and vascular dementia. The authors suggest centrally acting anticholinesterases might be beneficial, particularly early, but no treatment was tested.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 51/100
Published in a top-tier 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 | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (Lancet (London, England)) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | The Lancet: journal h-index 1,205 (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 | 1977 — 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 489 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 9.6 citations a year over 51 year(s) since 1977 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 21.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 4 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author D. M. Bowen: h-index 42 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 66473) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
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 names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
White, P., Hiley, C. R., Goodhardt, M. J., Carrasco, L. H., Keet, J. P., Williams, I. E., et al. (1977). Neocortical cholinergic neurons in elderly people. Lancet (London, England). https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(77)92114-6
Vancouver
White P, Hiley CR, Goodhardt MJ, Carrasco LH, Keet JP, Williams IE, et al. Neocortical cholinergic neurons in elderly people. Lancet (London, England). 1977. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(77)92114-6. PMID: 66473.
BibTeX
@article{white1977-66473,
author = {White, P. and Hiley, C. R. and Goodhardt, M. J. and Carrasco, L. H. and Keet, J. P. and Williams, I. E. and Bowen, D. M.},
title = {{Neocortical cholinergic neurons in elderly people}},
journal = {Lancet (London, England)},
year = {1977},
doi = {10.1016/s0140-6736(77)92114-6},
pmid = {66473},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(77)92114-6}
}
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