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Neuronal loss correlates with but exceeds neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease
Gómez-Isla T, Hollister R, West H, Mui S, Growdon JH, Petersen RC, Parisi JE, Hyman BT.. Annals of neurology, 1997-01-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
To assess the relationship between dementia, neuronal loss, and neuropathological findings in Alzheimer's disease (AD), we counted the number of neurons, senile plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles in a high-order association cortex. We studied the superior temporal sulcus of 34 individuals with AD and 17 nondemented control subjects, using statistically unbiased, stereological counting techniques. The number of superior temporal sulcus neurons in nondemented control subjects was stable across the sixth to ninth decades. In AD, more than 50% of the neurons were lost. Both neuronal loss and neurofibrillary tangles increased in parallel with the duration and severity of illness, but the amount of neuronal loss exceeded by manyfold the amount of neurofibrillary tangles accumulated. In contrast to the correlation between neurofibrillary tangles and neuronal loss, the number of senile plaques and the percentage of the superior temporal sulcus that was covered by Abeta (amyloid burden) were not related to neuronal loss, number of neurofibrillary tangles, or duration of disease. Neither the amount nor the rate of neuronal loss in the superior temporal sulcus in AD correlated with apolipoprotein E genotype. These data suggest that neuronal loss in association areas such as the superior temporal sulcus contributes directly to cognitive impairment in AD.
Key findings
- These data suggest that neuronal loss in association areas such as the superior temporal sulcus contributes directly to cognitive impairment in AD.
Why it matters
Counting cells in one region of the brain's outer layer (the superior temporal sulcus) in 34 people with Alzheimer's and 17 people without dementia, this 1997 study found that more than half of the neurons were lost in Alzheimer's. Neuron loss and tangles both rose with how long and how severe the illness was, and the neuron loss was many times greater than the number of tangles. Plaque counts and amyloid burden did not track neuron loss, tangles or disease duration. The authors say this suggests neuron loss contributes directly to the memory and thinking problems, but the study measured links, not cause, and tested no treatment.
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Study details
- Participants34
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 60/100
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 (Annals of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Annals of Neurology: journal h-index 437 (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 | 1997 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 34 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 | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,495 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 48.2 citations a year over 31 year(s) since 1997 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 20.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 76 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 144 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Bradley T. Hyman: h-index 190 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Massachusetts General Hospital: institution h-index 2,057 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 9005861) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 60 / 100 | — |
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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 8 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
Gómez-Isla, T., Hollister, R., West, H., Mui, S., Growdon, J. H., Petersen, R. C., et al. (1997). Neuronal loss correlates with but exceeds neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease. Annals of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.410410106
Vancouver
Gómez-Isla T, Hollister R, West H, Mui S, Growdon JH, Petersen RC, et al. Neuronal loss correlates with but exceeds neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease. Annals of neurology. 1997. doi:10.1002/ana.410410106. PMID: 9005861.
BibTeX
@article{gomezisla1997-9005861,
author = {Gómez-Isla, T. and Hollister, R. and West, H. and Mui, S. and Growdon, J. H. and Petersen, R. C. and Parisi, J. E. and Hyman, B. T.},
title = {{Neuronal loss correlates with but exceeds neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Annals of neurology},
year = {1997},
doi = {10.1002/ana.410410106},
pmid = {9005861},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.410410106}
}
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