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Postmortem MRI and histopathology of white matter changes in Alzheimer brains. A quantitative, comparative study
Bronge L, Bogdanovic N, Wahlund LO.. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders, 2002-01-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
To evaluate whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of white matter changes in Alzheimer's disease either under- or overestimates the findings on neuropathology. Postmortem MRI and neuropathological examination were performed on 6 brains from elderly individuals with a postmortem diagnosis of AD. Using a specially designed brain slicer, the brains were cut corresponding to the MRI images, and stained by Luxol Fast Blue. Quantitative analysis of white matter changes on MRI and neuropathology was performed using stereological principles. Measures from MRI and pathology were highly correlated (r(2) = 0.71). However, pathology showed significantly more extensive changes than did MRI in all cases, with a mean of 54% larger areas. The lesions not identified with MRI represented, however, only minor changes with lower intensity of myelin staining and with an accentuation of the distance between fibres but with preserved axonal network and glial cell density.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Bronge, L., Bogdanovic, N., & Wahlund, L. O. (2002). Postmortem MRI and histopathology of white matter changes in Alzheimer brains. A quantitative, comparative study. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders. https://doi.org/10.1159/000057698
Vancouver
Bronge L, Bogdanovic N, Wahlund LO. Postmortem MRI and histopathology of white matter changes in Alzheimer brains. A quantitative, comparative study. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders. 2002. doi:10.1159/000057698. PMID: 12006730.
BibTeX
@article{bronge2002-12006730,
author = {Bronge, L. and Bogdanovic, N. and Wahlund, L. O.},
title = {{Postmortem MRI and histopathology of white matter changes in Alzheimer brains. A quantitative, comparative study}},
journal = {Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.1159/000057698},
pmid = {12006730},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1159/000057698}
}
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Key findings
- However, pathology showed significantly more extensive changes than did MRI in all cases, with a mean of 54% larger areas.
Why it matters
In six Alzheimer brains, postmortem MRI underestimated the extent of white matter changes compared with pathology, though the missed lesions were minor. This is a comparison of imaging with tissue findings and does not address treatment or prevention.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 40/100
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 (Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders: journal h-index 149 (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 | 2002 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 161 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 6.2 citations a year over 26 year(s) since 2002 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 13 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Lars‐Olof Wahlund: h-index 101 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Karolinska Institutet: institution h-index 1,477 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12006730) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 40 / 100 | — |
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