Neuropathology and apolipoprotein E profile of aged chimpanzees: implications for Alzheimer disease
Gearing M, Rebeck GW, Hyman BT, Tigges J, Mirra SS.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1994-09-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Neuropathological findings in three aged chimpanzees were compared with those in rhesus monkeys and individuals with Alzheimer disease. Senile plaques and blood vessels were immunoreactive for amyloid beta-protein and apolipoprotein E (apoE) in the nonhuman primates, recapitulating findings in human aging and Alzheimer disease. Neurofibrillary tangles, another hallmark of Alzheimer disease, were absent. PCR/restriction-enzyme analysis in chimpanzees revealed an APOE profile similar to the human APOE type 4 allele associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer disease. These findings militate against the hypothesis that the absence of APOE type 3 allele predisposes to neurofibrillary tangle formation and support the value of aged primates for exploring mechanisms of amyloid processing and the role of apoE.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Gearing, M., Rebeck, G. W., Hyman, B. T., Tigges, J., & Mirra, S. S. (1994). Neuropathology and apolipoprotein E profile of aged chimpanzees: implications for Alzheimer disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.91.20.9382
Vancouver
Gearing M, Rebeck GW, Hyman BT, Tigges J, Mirra SS. Neuropathology and apolipoprotein E profile of aged chimpanzees: implications for Alzheimer disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 1994. doi:10.1073/pnas.91.20.9382. PMID: 7937774.
BibTeX
@article{gearing1994-7937774,
author = {Gearing, M. and Rebeck, G. W. and Hyman, B. T. and Tigges, J. and Mirra, S. S.},
title = {{Neuropathology and apolipoprotein E profile of aged chimpanzees: implications for Alzheimer disease}},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {1994},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.91.20.9382},
pmid = {7937774},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.91.20.9382}
}
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Key findings
- Neuropathological findings in three aged chimpanzees were compared with those in rhesus monkeys and individuals with Alzheimer disease.
- PCR/restriction-enzyme analysis in chimpanzees revealed an APOE profile similar to the human APOE type 4 allele associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer disease.
- These findings militate against the hypothesis that the absence of APOE type 3 allele predisposes to neurofibrillary tangle formation and support the value of aged primates for exploring mechanisms of amyloid processing and the role of apoE.
Why it matters
In three aged chimpanzees, senile plaques and blood vessels were immunoreactive for amyloid-beta-protein and apolipoprotein E, similar to findings in human aging and Alzheimer's disease, but neurofibrillary tangles were absent. This small animal study supports the value of aged primates for studying amyloid processing and apoE, but it does not offer a treatment or prevention.
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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 (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: journal h-index 1,167 (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 | 1994 — 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 179 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.3 citations a year over 34 year(s) since 1994 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 3.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 4 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 | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Suzanne Samuels Mirra: h-index 53 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 7937774) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
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