Home › Research › Brain scans and imaging
Presymptomatic cortical thinning in familial Alzheimer disease: A longitudinal MRI study
Weston PS, Nicholas JM, Lehmann M, Ryan NS, Liang Y, Macpherson K, Modat M, Rossor MN et al.. Neurology, 2016-10-12
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Plain-language summary
Objective To identify a cortical signature pattern of cortical thinning in familial Alzheimer disease (FAD) and assess its utility in detecting and tracking presymptomatic neurodegeneration. Methods We recruited 43 FAD mutation carriers-36 PSEN1, 7 APP (20 symptomatic, 23 presymptomatic)-and 42 healthy controls to a longitudinal clinical and MRI study. T1-weighted MRI scans were acquired at baseline in all participants; 55 individuals (33 mutation carriers; 22 controls) had multiple (mean 2.9) follow-up scans approximately annually. Cortical thickness was measured using FreeSurfer. A cortical thinning signature was identified from symptomatic FAD participants. We then examined cortical thickness changes in this signature region in presymptomatic carriers and assessed associations with cognitive performance. Results The cortical signature included 6 regions: entorhinal cortex, inferior parietal cortex, precuneus, superior parietal cortex, superior frontal cortex, and supramarginal gyrus. There were significant differences in mean cortical signature thickness between mutation carriers and controls 3 years before predicted symptom onset. The earliest significant difference in a single region, detectable 4 years preonset, was in the precuneus. Rate of change in cortical thickness became significantly different in the cortical signature at 5 years before predicted onset, and in the precuneus at 8 years preonset. Baseline mean signature thickness predicted rate of subsequent thinning and correlated with presymptomatic cognitive change. Conclusions The FAD cortical signature appears to be similar to that described for sporadic AD. All component regions showed significant presymptomatic thinning. A composite signature may provide more robust results than a single region and have utility as an outcome measure in presymptomatic trials.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Weston, P. S., Nicholas, J. M., Lehmann, M., Ryan, N. S., Liang, Y., Macpherson, K., et al. (2016). Presymptomatic cortical thinning in familial Alzheimer disease: A longitudinal MRI study. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000003322
Vancouver
Weston PS, Nicholas JM, Lehmann M, Ryan NS, Liang Y, Macpherson K, et al. Presymptomatic cortical thinning in familial Alzheimer disease: A longitudinal MRI study. Neurology. 2016. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000003322. PMID: 27733562.
BibTeX
@article{weston2016-27733562,
author = {Weston, P. S. and Nicholas, J. M. and Lehmann, M. and Ryan, N. S. and Liang, Y. and Macpherson, K. and Modat, M. and Rossor, M. N. and others},
title = {{Presymptomatic cortical thinning in familial Alzheimer disease: A longitudinal MRI study}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000003322},
pmid = {27733562},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000003322}
}
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.
Key findings
- Results The cortical signature included 6 regions: entorhinal cortex, inferior parietal cortex, precuneus, superior parietal cortex, superior frontal cortex, and supramarginal gyrus.
- There were significant differences in mean cortical signature thickness between mutation carriers and controls 3 years before predicted symptom onset.
- The earliest significant difference in a single region, detectable 4 years preonset, was in the precuneus.
- Rate of change in cortical thickness became significantly different in the cortical signature at 5 years before predicted onset, and in the precuneus at 8 years preonset.
- All component regions showed significant presymptomatic thinning.
Why it matters
This longitudinal MRI study in familial Alzheimer disease identified a pattern of cortical thinning that could be detected years before expected symptom onset. It is about tracking early brain changes, not about treating, curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Brain scans & tests →
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants43
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 62/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (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 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 43 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) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 71 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.9 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 17 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Nick C. Fox: h-index 173 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 27733562) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 62 / 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).
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
6 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Brain scans and imaging from nearby years
Also tagged “machine”
834 studies in the library carry the topic tag “machine”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 834 tagged studies.