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57/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 57 out of 100. Brain tissue and pathology

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterised by neuronal loss and cerebral deposition of proteins with altered physicochemical properties. The major proteins are amyloid-β (Aβ), tau, α-synuclein, and TDP-43. Although neuropathological studies on elderly individuals have emphasised the importance of mixed pathologies, there have been few observations on the full spectrum of proteinopathies in the ageing brain.

Key findings

The major proteins are amyloid-β (Aβ), tau, α-synuclein, and TDP-43.
Although neuropathological studies on elderly individuals have emphasised the importance of mixed pathologies, there have been few observations on the full spectrum of proteinopathies in the ageing brain.
During a community-based study we performed comprehensive mapping of neurodegeneration-related proteins and vascular pathology in the brains of 233 individuals (age at death 77-87; 73 examined clinically in detail).
While all brains (from individuals with and without dementia) showed some degree of neurofibrillary degeneration, Aβ deposits were observed only in 160 (68.7 %).

Why it matters

In this community-based autopsy series of 233 brains, the study mapped several neurodegeneration-related proteins and vascular pathology and found that non-Alzheimer pathologies and combinations of them are more frequent than commonly believed in the elderly brain. It is a descriptive autopsy study and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.

Study details

Participants233
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 57/100

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 (Acta neuropathologica)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Acta Neuropathologica: journal h-index 287 (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	2013 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	233 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	6 / 7	Cited 364 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	4 / 5	24.3 citations a year over 15 year(s) since 2013
Impact for its field and year	4 / 6	Cited 17.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	3 / 6	Cited by 29 other studies in this library
Still being cited	3 / 4	Cited 83 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	3 / 4	Last-listed author Herbert Budka: h-index 89 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	Medical University of Vienna: institution h-index 818 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 23900711)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	57 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

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. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Kovacs, G. G., Milenkovic, I., Wöhrer, A., Höftberger, R., Gelpi, E., Haberler, C., et al. (2013). Non-Alzheimer neurodegenerative pathologies and their combinations are more frequent than commonly believed in the elderly brain: a community-based autopsy series. Acta neuropathologica. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-013-1157-y

Vancouver

Kovacs GG, Milenkovic I, Wöhrer A, Höftberger R, Gelpi E, Haberler C, et al. Non-Alzheimer neurodegenerative pathologies and their combinations are more frequent than commonly believed in the elderly brain: a community-based autopsy series. Acta neuropathologica. 2013. doi:10.1007/s00401-013-1157-y. PMID: 23900711.

BibTeX

@article{kovacs2013-23900711,
  author  = {Kovacs, G. G. and Milenkovic, I. and Wöhrer, A. and Höftberger, R. and Gelpi, E. and Haberler, C. and Hönigschnabl, S. and Reiner-Concin, A. and others},
  title   = {{Non-Alzheimer neurodegenerative pathologies and their combinations are more frequent than commonly believed in the elderly brain: a community-based autopsy series}},
  journal = {Acta neuropathologica},
  year    = {2013},
  doi     = {10.1007/s00401-013-1157-y},
  pmid    = {23900711},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-013-1157-y}
}

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