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72/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 72 out of 100. Brain scans and imaging

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Plain-language summary

The identification of biological markers at early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) contributes to diagnostic accuracy and adds prognostic value. However, in spite of recent developments, results of neurostructural imaging studies on predicting conversion to AD are not uniform. We conducted a systematic review of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies about the neurostructural predictors of conversion to AD. Ten studies met inclusion criteria and nine reported baseline regional gray matter (GM) atrophy in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or healthy subjects who progressed to AD. Using the method of Activation Likelihood Estimation, we meta-analyzed the coordinates from the six longitudinal VBM studies that enrolled subjects with amnestic MCI (aMCI) at baseline. These comprised a total of 429 aMCI subjects, of which 142 converted to AD. Meta-analysis yielded one significant cluster of GM volumetric reduction in aMCI patients who converted to AD, located in the left hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus. In conclusion, left medial temporal lobe atrophy is the most consistent neurostructural biomarker to predict conversion from aMCI to AD.

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APA 7th

Ferreira, L. K., Diniz, B. S., Forlenza, O. V., Busatto, G. F., & Zanetti, M. V. (2011). Neurostructural predictors of Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis of VBM studies. Neurobiology of aging. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2009.11.008

Vancouver

Ferreira LK, Diniz BS, Forlenza OV, Busatto GF, Zanetti MV. Neurostructural predictors of Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis of VBM studies. Neurobiology of aging. 2011. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2009.11.008. PMID: 20005012.

BibTeX

@article{ferreira2011-20005012,
  author  = {Ferreira, L. K. and Diniz, B. S. and Forlenza, O. V. and Busatto, G. F. and Zanetti, M. V.},
  title   = {{Neurostructural predictors of Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis of VBM studies}},
  journal = {Neurobiology of aging},
  year    = {2011},
  doi     = {10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2009.11.008},
  pmid    = {20005012},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2009.11.008}
}

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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 lists 429 participants. Ask whether that is enough for the question, and who they were.
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

However, in spite of recent developments, results of neurostructural imaging studies on predicting conversion to AD are not uniform.
Meta-analysis yielded one significant cluster of GM volumetric reduction in aMCI patients who converted to AD, located in the left hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus.
In conclusion, left medial temporal lobe atrophy is the most consistent neurostructural biomarker to predict conversion from aMCI to AD.

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Study details

Study designsystematic review
Participants429
Evidence strengthHigh

How this study scored 72/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a systematic review of all the studies on the question. Scored zero for effect reported because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multicenter collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 42 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 72 out of 100.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neurobiology of aging)
Journal's citation record	— / 4	No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score
Study design	12 / 12	A systematic review of all the studies on the question
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	2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	429 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)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	A review of other studies — randomization is not credited here
Times cited	— / 7	No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score
Citations per year	— / 5	No citation count or no year — left out of this score
Impact for its field and year	— / 6	No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score
Cited by studies here	— / 6	Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score
Still being cited	— / 4	No yearly citation counts — left out of this score
Senior author's track record	— / 4	Senior author's record not available — left out of this score
Institution's track record	— / 3	No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score
Multicenter collaboration	— / 3	Institutions not listed — left out of this score
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 20005012)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Points	42 / 58	Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 42 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 72 out of 100.
Total	72 / 100	—

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