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Operationalizing diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease and other age-related cognitive impairment-Part 1
Mayeux R, Reitz C, Brickman AM, Haan MN, Manly JJ, Glymour MM, Weiss CC, Yaffe K et al.. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2011-01-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
In this article, the challenges faced by several noted population studies for Alzheimer dementia in operationalizing current clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been reviewed. Differences in case ascertainment, methodological biases, cultural and educational influences on test performance, inclusion of special populations such as underrepresented minorities and the oldest old, and detection of the earliest symptomatic stages of underlying AD have been considered. Classification of Alzheimer dementia may be improved by the incorporation of biomarkers for AD if the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of the biomarkers are established and if they are appropriate for epidemiological studies, as may occur should a plasma biomarker be developed. Biomarkers for AD could also facilitate studies of the interactions of various forms of neurodegenerative disorders with cerebrovascular disease, resulting in "mixed dementia".
Key findings
- In this article, the challenges faced by several noted population studies for Alzheimer dementia in operationalizing current clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been reviewed.
- Differences in case ascertainment, methodological biases, cultural and educational influences on test performance, inclusion of special populations such as underrepresented minorities and the oldest old, and detection of the earliest symptomatic stages of underlying AD have been considered.
- Classification of Alzheimer dementia may be improved by the incorporation of biomarkers for AD if the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of the biomarkers are established and if they are appropriate for epidemiological studies, as may occur should a plasma biomarker be developed.
- Biomarkers for AD could also facilitate studies of the interactions of various forms of neurodegenerative disorders with cerebrovascular disease, resulting in "mixed dementia".
Why it matters
This article reviews challenges that population studies face in applying current clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease, including differences in case ascertainment, methodological biases, cultural and educational influences on test performance, inclusion of special populations, and detection of the earliest symptomatic stages. It suggests classification may improve with biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease if their sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value are established and if they suit epidemiological studies, but it reports no treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a leading specialty 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 | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (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 | 2011 — within 20 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 | 4 / 7 | Cited 61 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.6 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.7× 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 | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author John C. Morris: h-index 209 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 13 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21255741) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — PubMed Central lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
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
Mayeux, R., Reitz, C., Brickman, A. M., Haan, M. N., Manly, J. J., Glymour, M. M., et al. (2011). Operationalizing diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease and other age-related cognitive impairment-Part 1. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2010.11.005
Vancouver
Mayeux R, Reitz C, Brickman AM, Haan MN, Manly JJ, Glymour MM, et al. Operationalizing diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease and other age-related cognitive impairment-Part 1. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 2011. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2010.11.005. PMID: 21255741.
BibTeX
@article{mayeux2011-21255741,
author = {Mayeux, R. and Reitz, C. and Brickman, A. M. and Haan, M. N. and Manly, J. J. and Glymour, M. M. and Weiss, C. C. and Yaffe, K. and others},
title = {{Operationalizing diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease and other age-related cognitive impairment-Part 1}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1016/j.jalz.2010.11.005},
pmid = {21255741},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2010.11.005}
}
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