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75/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 75 out of 100. Mild cognitive impairment

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Plain-language summary

The purpose of this study was to use serial imaging to gain insight into the sequence of pathologic events in Alzheimer's disease, and the clinical features associated with this sequence. The annual change in global PIB retention did not differ by clinical group (P = 0.90), and although small (median 0.042 ratio units/year overall) was greater than zero among all subjects (P < 0.001). Significant plaque deposition occurs prior to clinical decline.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Moderate

This is a follow-up (cohort) study of 21 participants. This 2009 study repeated PIB and MRI imaging in people who were cognitively normal, had mild cognitive impairment or had Alzheimer's disease, to learn the order in which disease changes happen.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Jack, C. R., Lowe, V. J., Weigand, S. D., Wiste, H. J., Senjem, M. L., Knopman, D. S., et al. (2009). Serial PIB and MRI in normal, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: implications for sequence of pathological events in Alzheimer's disease. Brain : a journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awp062

Vancouver

Jack CR, Lowe VJ, Weigand SD, Wiste HJ, Senjem ML, Knopman DS, et al. Serial PIB and MRI in normal, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: implications for sequence of pathological events in Alzheimer's disease. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2009. doi:10.1093/brain/awp062. PMID: 19339253.

BibTeX

@article{jack2009-19339253,
  author  = {Jack, C. R. and Lowe, V. J. and Weigand, S. D. and Wiste, H. J. and Senjem, M. L. and Knopman, D. S. and Shiung, M. M. and Gunter, J. L. and others},
  title   = {{Serial PIB and MRI in normal, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: implications for sequence of pathological events in Alzheimer's disease}},
  journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology},
  year    = {2009},
  doi     = {10.1093/brain/awp062},
  pmid    = {19339253},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awp062}
}

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.

How to read this study

Design: this is a follow-up (cohort) study. People are observed over time and not assigned to anything, so an association can reflect other differences between groups. Look at how long follow-up lasted, how many dropped out, and whether the authors adjusted for age, education and other health conditions.
Size: the record lists 21 participants. Ask whether that is enough for the question, and who they were.
Effect: the record gives no effect size, so the summary above cannot say how large any difference was.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded moderate. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Moderate means the abstract mentions a cohort, case-control or longitudinal design. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

New to reading papers? Six questions to ask of any Alzheimer’s study · how we score.

Key findings

The purpose of this study was to use serial imaging to gain insight into the sequence of pathologic events in Alzheimer's disease, and the clinical features associated with this sequence.
The annual change in global PIB retention did not differ by clinical group (P = 0.90), and although small (median 0.042 ratio units/year overall) was greater than zero among all subjects (P < 0.001).
Significant plaque deposition occurs prior to clinical decline.

Why it matters

This 2009 study repeated PIB and MRI imaging in people who were cognitively normal, had mild cognitive impairment or had Alzheimer's disease, to learn the order in which disease changes happen. PIB retention rose by a small amount each year in all participants (median 0.042 ratio units/year, P < 0.001), and the yearly rise did not differ between the three groups (P = 0.90); the authors concluded that "significant plaque deposition occurs prior to clinical decline." It is an observational imaging study: it tested no treatment, our record does not include its MRI results, and timing alone does not show that plaque causes the decline.

Study details

Study designlongitudinal study
Participants21
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 75/100

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 (Brain : a journal of neurology)
Journal's citation record	4 / 4	Brain: journal h-index 503 (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	2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	1 / 4	21 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	7 / 7	Cited 1,101 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	5 / 5	57.9 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009
Impact for its field and year	6 / 6	Cited 64.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	5 / 6	Cited by 129 other studies in this library
Still being cited	3 / 4	Cited 89 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Ronald Carl Petersen: h-index 209 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	University of California, San Francisco: institution h-index 1,915 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19339253)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	75 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

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Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

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