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Quantitative assessment of the synaptophysin immuno-reactivity of the cortical neuropil in various neurodegenerative disorders with dementia
Zhan SS, Beyreuther K, Schmitt HP.. Dementia (Basel, Switzerland), 1993-03-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
It has remained a matter of debate until now whether amyloid and tangle pathology may be regarded as the main causes of the dementia in Alzheimer's disease (AD) or only as markers of the disease. In the present study we examined the synaptophysin immunoreactivity of the cortical neuropil as a measure of its synapse density, in 17 cases of AD, 1 case with a 10-month episode of dementia and cortical amyloid deposition, 5 cases of Huntington's disease (HD) with dementia, 11 cases of parkinsonism (PD), 5 with dementia (PD-D) and 16 controls. The immunoreactivity was assessed in two layers (molecular, pyramidal) of three regions (frontal, occipital, hippocampus) by means of automated black-and-white image analysis. In AD we found a rather diffuse reduction of the cortical synaptophysin expression of up to 26.5% (mean 11%) of the controls. No correlation was found between synaptophysin expressivity and age either in AD or in the controls. Univariate analyses revealed only a very weak negative correlation between the density of beta A4-immunoreactive cortical plaques and the intensity of the synaptophysin staining, while in a multivariate analysis the plaque density did not show any impact on the latter. In HD a reduction of the synaptophysin immunoreactivity of the cortical neuropil was also found (mean 10.4%), with a predominance in the pyramidal layer of the neocortex. The same was true for PD (5.3%) and PD-D (8.2%). Our results support the view that loss of synapses in the cortical neuropil may be a significant factor for the development of organic dementia, while the amyloid pathology in AD is more likely a marker of the disease.
Key findings
- In AD we found a rather diffuse reduction of the cortical synaptophysin expression of up to 26.5% (mean 11%) of the controls.
- Univariate analyses revealed only a very weak negative correlation between the density of beta A4-immunoreactive cortical plaques and the intensity of the synaptophysin staining, while in a multivariate analysis the plaque density did not show any impact on the latter.
- Our results support the view that loss of synapses in the cortical neuropil may be a significant factor for the development of organic dementia, while the amyloid pathology in AD is more likely a marker of the disease.
Why it matters
This study found a diffuse reduction of synapse density in the cortex in Alzheimer's disease, supporting the idea that synapse loss may be a significant factor. It found only a very weak link between amyloid plaque density and synapse staining, and plaque density had no impact in the multivariate analysis.
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Study details
- Effect size26.5%; 10.4%; 5.3%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 38/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record and senior author's track record, so those were left out: it earned 35 of the 92 points we could judge it on, which is 38 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Dementia (Basel, Switzerland)) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| 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 | 1993 — 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 | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 110 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.1 citations a year over 35 year(s) since 1993 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 11 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Heidelberg University: institution h-index 1,344 (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 8358515) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 35 / 92 | Scored on 18 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 35 of the 92 points we could judge it on is 38 out of 100. |
| Total | 38 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Zhan, S. S., Beyreuther, K., & Schmitt, H. P. (1993). Quantitative assessment of the synaptophysin immuno-reactivity of the cortical neuropil in various neurodegenerative disorders with dementia. Dementia (Basel, Switzerland). https://doi.org/10.1159/000107299
Vancouver
Zhan SS, Beyreuther K, Schmitt HP. Quantitative assessment of the synaptophysin immuno-reactivity of the cortical neuropil in various neurodegenerative disorders with dementia. Dementia (Basel, Switzerland). 1993. doi:10.1159/000107299. PMID: 8358515.
BibTeX
@article{zhan1993-8358515,
author = {Zhan, S. S. and Beyreuther, K. and Schmitt, H. P.},
title = {{Quantitative assessment of the synaptophysin immuno-reactivity of the cortical neuropil in various neurodegenerative disorders with dementia}},
journal = {Dementia (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {1993},
doi = {10.1159/000107299},
pmid = {8358515},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1159/000107299}
}
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