Home › Research › Disease mechanisms
Synapse Loss and Microglial Activation Precede Tangles in a P301S Tauopathy Mouse Model
Yasumasa Yoshiyama, Makoto Higuchi, Bin Zhang, Shu-Ming Huang, Nobuhisa Iwata, Takaomi C. Saido, Jun Maeda, Tetsuya Suhara, John Q. Trojanowski, Virginia M.‐Y. Lee. Neuron, 2007-02-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
To investigate earlier pathologies preceding filamentous tau inclusions, researchers studied wild-type and P301S mutant human tau transgenic mice. They discovered that hippocampal synapse loss, impaired synaptic function, and prominent microglial activation occurred in 3 month old mice before fibrillary tau tangles emerged. Furthermore, immunosuppression of young mice with FK506 attenuated tau pathology and increased lifespan.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Yoshiyama, Y., Higuchi, M., Zhang, B., Huang, S.-M., Iwata, N., Saido, T. C., et al. (2007). Synapse Loss and Microglial Activation Precede Tangles in a P301S Tauopathy Mouse Model. Neuron. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2007.01.010
Vancouver
Yoshiyama Y, Higuchi M, Zhang B, Huang S.-M, Iwata N, Saido TC, et al. Synapse Loss and Microglial Activation Precede Tangles in a P301S Tauopathy Mouse Model. Neuron. 2007. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2007.01.010. PMID: 17270732.
BibTeX
@article{yoshiyama2007-17270732,
author = {Yoshiyama, Yasumasa and Higuchi, Makoto and Zhang, Bin and Huang, Shu-Ming and Iwata, Nobuhisa and Saido, Takaomi C. and Maeda, Jun and Suhara, Tetsuya and Trojanowski, John Q. and Lee, Virginia M.‐Y.},
title = {{Synapse Loss and Microglial Activation Precede Tangles in a P301S Tauopathy Mouse Model}},
journal = {Neuron},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2007.01.010},
pmid = {17270732},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2007.01.010}
}
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 10 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.
Key findings
- Hippocampal synapse loss and impaired synaptic function were detected in 3 month old P301S Tg mice before fibrillary tau tangles emerged.
- Prominent microglial activation also preceded tangle formation.
- Immunosuppression of young P301S Tg mice with FK506 attenuated tau pathology and increased lifespan
Why it matters
Reports that in a P301S tauopathy mouse model, synapse loss and microglial activation came before tangles.
How this study scored 58/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on strength of evidence, so that was left out: it earned 55 of the 95 points we could judge it on, which is 58 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neuron) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neuron: journal h-index 689 (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 | — / 5 | No evidence rating recorded — left out of this score |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2007 — within 20 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 | Laboratory or animal study (title names “mouse”) — scores zero |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 2,217 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 105.6 citations a year over 21 year(s) since 2007 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 31.5× 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 | 4 / 4 | Cited 534 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Virginia M.‐Y. Lee: h-index 202 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Pennsylvania: institution h-index 1,859 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 17270732) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 55 / 95 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 55 of the 95 points we could judge it on is 58 out of 100. |
| Total | 58 / 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 Disease mechanisms
Also tagged “mice”
1,150 studies in the library carry the topic tag “mice”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,150 tagged studies.