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Spatial patterns of cortical thinning in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease
Singh V, Chertkow H, Lerch JP, Evans AC, Dorr AE, Kabani NJ.. Brain : a journal of neurology, 2006-09-28
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Cortical thickness is a more reliable measure of atrophy than volume due to the low variability in the cytoarchitectural structure of the grey matter. However, this more desirable measure of disease-related alterations is not fully evaluated in early dementia. The study presented here is the first to report the spatial patterns of cortical thickness in the pre-clinical stages of Alzheimer's disease, namely mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Cortical thickness measurements for 34 healthy elderly, 62 MCI and 42 Alzheimer's disease subjects were made using fully automated magnetic resonance imaging-based analysis techniques in order to determine the pattern of cortical thinning as a function of disease progression. The thickness of the cortex decreased significantly when the healthy elderly brains were compared to those with MCI, mainly in the medial temporal lobe region and in some regions of the frontal and the parietal cortices. With the progression of disease from MCI to Alzheimer's disease, a general thinning of the entire cortex with significant extension into the lateral temporal lobe was found. In all cases, the results were more pronounced in the left hemisphere. In conclusion, we have shown that there is a specific pattern in the thinning of the cortical ribbon which is in agreement with the previous histological reports. These novel findings support the notion of increased isocortical involvement with the progression of disease.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Singh, V., Chertkow, H., Lerch, J. P., Evans, A. C., Dorr, A. E., & Kabani, N. J. (2006). Spatial patterns of cortical thinning in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Brain : a journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awl256
Vancouver
Singh V, Chertkow H, Lerch JP, Evans AC, Dorr AE, Kabani NJ. Spatial patterns of cortical thinning in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2006. doi:10.1093/brain/awl256. PMID: 17008332.
BibTeX
@article{singh2006-17008332,
author = {Singh, V. and Chertkow, H. and Lerch, J. P. and Evans, A. C. and Dorr, A. E. and Kabani, N. J.},
title = {{Spatial patterns of cortical thinning in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1093/brain/awl256},
pmid = {17008332},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awl256}
}
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Key findings
- The thickness of the cortex decreased significantly when the healthy elderly brains were compared to those with MCI, mainly in the medial temporal lobe region and in some regions of the frontal and the parietal cortices.
- With the progression of disease from MCI to Alzheimer's disease, a general thinning of the entire cortex with significant extension into the lateral temporal lobe was found.
- In all cases, the results were more pronounced in the left hemisphere.
- In conclusion, we have shown that there is a specific pattern in the thinning of the cortical ribbon which is in agreement with the previous histological reports.
Why it matters
This study found that cortical thinning began in the medial temporal lobe and some frontal and parietal regions in mild cognitive impairment, and spread more widely as the disease progressed to Alzheimer's disease. This describes a pattern of brain change, but it does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 51/100
Published in a leading specialty 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 | 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 | 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 | 2006 — 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 | 6 / 7 | Cited 389 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 17.7 citations a year over 22 year(s) since 2006 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 10.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 21 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 54 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Noor Jehan Kabani: h-index 21 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Hospital for Sick Children: institution h-index 864 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 17008332) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
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