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New insights into the role of TREM2 in Alzheimer's disease
Gratuze M, Leyns CEG, Holtzman DM.. Molecular neurodegeneration, 2018-12-20
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia. The two histopathological markers of AD are amyloid plaques composed of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide, and neurofibrillary tangles of aggregated, abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau protein. The majority of AD cases are late-onset, after the age of 65, where a clear cause is still unknown.
Key findings
- The two histopathological markers of AD are amyloid plaques composed of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide, and neurofibrillary tangles of aggregated, abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau protein.
- The majority of AD cases are late-onset, after the age of 65, where a clear cause is still unknown.
- However, there are likely different multifactorial contributors including age, enviornment, biology and genetics which can increase risk for the disease.
- Genetic predisposition is considerable, with heritability estimates of 60-80%.
Why it matters
This review describes the amyloid plaques and tau tangles of Alzheimer's disease and notes that most cases are late-onset with no clear cause. It discusses genetic and other risk contributors but reports no treatment or cure.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Genetics →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 54/100
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 (Molecular neurodegeneration) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Molecular Neurodegeneration: journal h-index 164 (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 | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| 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 | 4 / 5 | 48.9 citations a year over 10 year(s) since 2018 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 14.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 40 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 181 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author David M. Holtzman: h-index 206 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 30572908) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1186/s13024-018-0298-9
- PubMed: 30572908
- Original source →
- Free full text: Molecular Neurodegeneration →
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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Gratuze, M., Leyns, C. E. G., & Holtzman, D. M. (2018). New insights into the role of TREM2 in Alzheimer's disease. Molecular neurodegeneration. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-018-0298-9
Vancouver
Gratuze M, Leyns CEG, Holtzman DM. New insights into the role of TREM2 in Alzheimer's disease. Molecular neurodegeneration. 2018. doi:10.1186/s13024-018-0298-9. PMID: 30572908.
BibTeX
@article{gratuze2018-30572908,
author = {Gratuze, M. and Leyns, C. E. G. and Holtzman, D. M.},
title = {{New insights into the role of TREM2 in Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Molecular neurodegeneration},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1186/s13024-018-0298-9},
pmid = {30572908},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-018-0298-9}
}
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