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The age factor in Alzheimer's disease
Guerreiro R, Bras J.. Genome medicine, 2015-10-20
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, and it is characterized by a decline in memory or other thinking skills. The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is advanced age. A recent genome-wide study identified a locus on chromosome 17 associated with the age at onset, and a specific variant in CCL11 is probably responsible for the association. The association of a protective haplotype with a 10-year delay in the onset of Alzheimer's disease and the identification of a CCL11 variant with possible functional roles in this association might allow the future development of immunomodulators with the potential to halve disease incidence.
Key findings
- A recent genome-wide study identified a locus on chromosome 17 associated with the age at onset, and a specific variant in CCL11 is probably responsible for the association.
Why it matters
This article notes that advanced age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and that a genome-wide study identified a locus on chromosome 17 associated with age at onset, with a specific variant in CCL11 probably responsible. It suggests that a protective haplotype associated with a 10-year delay in onset might allow future development of immunomodulators with the potential to halve disease incidence.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 50/100
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 (Genome medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Genome Medicine: journal h-index 174 (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 | 2015 — 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 | 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 416 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 32.0 citations a year over 13 year(s) since 2015 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 16 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 143 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author José Brás: h-index 82 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 26482651) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 50 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Guerreiro, R., & Bras, J. (2015). The age factor in Alzheimer's disease. Genome medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13073-015-0232-5
Vancouver
Guerreiro R, Bras J. The age factor in Alzheimer's disease. Genome medicine. 2015. doi:10.1186/s13073-015-0232-5. PMID: 26482651.
BibTeX
@article{guerreiro2015-26482651,
author = {Guerreiro, R. and Bras, J.},
title = {{The age factor in Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Genome medicine},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1186/s13073-015-0232-5},
pmid = {26482651},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13073-015-0232-5}
}
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