Home › Research › Inflammation and the immune system
Quantification of Alzheimer disease neuropathology using tissue microarrays
Hoang-Tuong Nguyen-Hao, Jie Liu, Mario Novelli, Dhiraj Maskey, Raymond S. Schwartz, Oscar Harari, Greg Trevor Sutherland. Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology, 2025-06-24
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the hallmark pathologies of β-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which vary across brain regions and between affected individuals. As a rapid research method to quantify hallmark pathologies and their relationships with the surrounding cytoarchitecture across the brain, we trialed tissue microarrays (TMAs) in combination with multiplex immunofluorescence and semi-automated image analysis. We assayed the hallmark pathologies across grey and white matter sites of 11 different brain regions and quantified astrocytes, microglia, and neurons in four AD cases and four age- and gender-matched controls. The results demonstrated that 2 mm cores differentiated AD-affected individuals from healthy donors. Regional amyloid loads corroborated the established spread from the neocortex to allocortex, pontine, and occasionally cerebellar regions. Similarly, NFT counts matched the pattern predicted by Braak staging. Contrasting with the two hallmark pathologies, regional cell numbers were similar between cases and controls although cell counts were affected by variable staining quality. These results suggest that TMAs in combination with multiplex immunofluorescence and image analysis offer a powerful research tool for the rapid assessment of brain-wide AD neuropathological change in postmortem tissue. This quick assessment allows an informed selection of regions for more comprehensive investigations.
Key findings
- The results demonstrated that 2 mm cores differentiated AD-affected individuals from healthy donors.
- These results suggest that TMAs in combination with multiplex immunofluorescence and image analysis offer a powerful research tool for the rapid assessment of brain-wide AD neuropathological change in postmortem tissue.
Why it matters
Using small tissue cores with fluorescent labeling and image analysis, researchers distinguished Alzheimer's-affected brains from healthy donors and reproduced known patterns of amyloid and tau spread. This is a research method for studying postmortem brain tissue, not a treatment or diagnostic test for living patients.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 39/100
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 (Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology: journal h-index 239 (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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 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 | 2 / 7 | Cited 6 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 6 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Greg Trevor Sutherland: h-index 31 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The University of Sydney: institution h-index 1,466 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40581808) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 39 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlaf064
- PubMed: 40581808
- Original source →
- Free full text: Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology →
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 names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Nguyen-Hao, H.-T., Liu, J., Novelli, M., Maskey, D., Schwartz, R. S., Harari, O., et al. (2025). Quantification of Alzheimer disease neuropathology using tissue microarrays. Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnen/nlaf064
Vancouver
Nguyen-Hao H.-T, Liu J, Novelli M, Maskey D, Schwartz RS, Harari O, et al. Quantification of Alzheimer disease neuropathology using tissue microarrays. Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology. 2025. doi:10.1093/jnen/nlaf064. PMID: 40581808.
BibTeX
@article{nguyenhao2025-40581808,
author = {Nguyen-Hao, Hoang-Tuong and Liu, Jie and Novelli, Mario and Maskey, Dhiraj and Schwartz, Raymond S. and Harari, Oscar and Sutherland, Greg Trevor},
title = {{Quantification of Alzheimer disease neuropathology using tissue microarrays}},
journal = {Journal of Neuropathology \& Experimental Neurology},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1093/jnen/nlaf064},
pmid = {40581808},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/jnen/nlaf064}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 19.
Related studies in Inflammation and the immune system
Also in Inflammation and the immune system
138 studies in the library are filed under Inflammation and the immune system with no topic tag they share with another; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed tour of them. The Inflammation and the immune system hub.