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Pathological correlates of dementia in a longitudinal, population-based sample of aging
Sonnen JA, Larson EB, Crane PK, Haneuse S, Li G, Schellenberg GD, Craft S, Leverenz JB et al.. Annals of neurology, 2007-10-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective Previously published community- or population-based studies of brain aging and dementia with autopsy were restricted to a single sex, a single ethnic group, Roman Catholic clergy, or focused pathological assessments. Our goal was to determine the independent pathological correlates associated with dementia in a typical US population. Methods We evaluated autopsy data from the Adult Changes in Thought study, an ongoing longitudinal, population-based study of brain aging and dementia. Analyses were based on data collected from about 3,400 people 65 years or older who were cognitively intact at the time of enrollment in the Group Health Cooperative in King County, Washington. All consecutive autopsies (n = 221; 20% of deaths) from this cohort were evaluated and analyzed by weighted multivariate analysis to account for potential participation bias. Results After adjusting for age, sex, education, and APOE, independent correlates of dementia (relative risk, 95% confidence interval; overall p value) included Braak stage (V/VI vs 0/I/II: 5.89, 1.62-17.60; p 2 vs none: 4.80, 1.91-10.26; p Interpretation Our results underscore the therapeutic imperative for Alzheimer's and Lewy body diseases, and provide evidence to support the immediate use of strategies that target cerebral microinfarcts as a means to partially prevent or delay the onset of dementia.
Key findings
- Our goal was to determine the independent pathological correlates associated with dementia in a typical US population.
- Results After adjusting for age, sex, education, and APOE, independent correlates of dementia (relative risk, 95% confidence interval; overall p value) included Braak stage (V/VI vs 0/I/II: 5.89, 1.62-17.60; p < 0.05), number of cerebral microinfarcts in standardized sections (>2 vs none: 4.80, 1.91-10.26; p < 0.001), and neocortical Lewy bodies (any vs none: 5.08, 1.37-18.96; p < 0.05).
Why it matters
In this autopsy study, Alzheimer-type brain changes and Lewy body disease were independently linked to dementia. The authors say this supports targeting cerebral microinfarcts as a way to partially prevent or delay dementia, but this was not tested as a treatment.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants221
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 66/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Annals of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Annals of Neurology: journal h-index 437 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2007 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 221 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 432 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 20.6 citations a year over 21 year(s) since 2007 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 11.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 66 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 24 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Thomas J. Montine: h-index 48 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | University of Washington: institution h-index 3,540 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 17879383) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 66 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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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
Sonnen, J. A., Larson, E. B., Crane, P. K., Haneuse, S., Li, G., Schellenberg, G. D., et al. (2007). Pathological correlates of dementia in a longitudinal, population-based sample of aging. Annals of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.21208
Vancouver
Sonnen JA, Larson EB, Crane PK, Haneuse S, Li G, Schellenberg GD, et al. Pathological correlates of dementia in a longitudinal, population-based sample of aging. Annals of neurology. 2007. doi:10.1002/ana.21208. PMID: 17879383.
BibTeX
@article{sonnen2007-17879383,
author = {Sonnen, J. A. and Larson, E. B. and Crane, P. K. and Haneuse, S. and Li, G. and Schellenberg, G. D. and Craft, S. and Leverenz, J. B. and others},
title = {{Pathological correlates of dementia in a longitudinal, population-based sample of aging}},
journal = {Annals of neurology},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1002/ana.21208},
pmid = {17879383},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.21208}
}
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