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56/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 56 out of 100. Getting a diagnosis

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Plain-language summary

Structural imaging based on magnetic resonance is an integral part of the clinical assessment of patients with suspected Alzheimer dementia. Prospective data on the natural history of change in structural markers from preclinical to overt stages of Alzheimer disease are radically changing how the disease is conceptualized, and will influence its future diagnosis and treatment. Atrophy of medial temporal structures is now considered to be a valid diagnostic marker at the mild cognitive impairment stage. Structural imaging is also included in diagnostic criteria for the most prevalent non-Alzheimer dementias, reflecting its value in differential diagnosis. In addition, rates of whole-brain and hippocampal atrophy are sensitive markers of neurodegeneration, and are increasingly used as outcome measures in trials of potentially disease-modifying therapies. Large multicenter studies are currently investigating the value of other imaging and nonimaging markers as adjuncts to clinical assessment in diagnosis and monitoring of progression. The utility of structural imaging and other markers will be increased by standardization of acquisition and analysis methods, and by development of robust algorithms for automated assessment.

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APA 7th

Frisoni, G. B., Fox, N. C., Jack, C. R., Scheltens, P., & Thompson, P. M. (2010). The clinical use of structural MRI in Alzheimer disease. Nature reviews. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2009.215

Vancouver

Frisoni GB, Fox NC, Jack CR, Scheltens P, Thompson PM. The clinical use of structural MRI in Alzheimer disease. Nature reviews. Neurology. 2010. doi:10.1038/nrneurol.2009.215. PMID: 20139996.

BibTeX

@article{frisoni2010-20139996,
  author  = {Frisoni, G. B. and Fox, N. C. and Jack, C. R. and Scheltens, P. and Thompson, P. M.},
  title   = {{The clinical use of structural MRI in Alzheimer disease}},
  journal = {Nature reviews. Neurology},
  year    = {2010},
  doi     = {10.1038/nrneurol.2009.215},
  pmid    = {20139996},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2009.215}
}

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How to read this study

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Size: the record gives no participant count. Look for one in the original before trusting a pattern.
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 low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. 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.

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Key findings

Atrophy of medial temporal structures is now considered to be a valid diagnostic marker at the mild cognitive impairment stage.
Structural imaging is also included in diagnostic criteria for the most prevalent non-Alzheimer dementias, reflecting its value in differential diagnosis.
In addition, rates of whole-brain and hippocampal atrophy are sensitive markers of neurodegeneration, and are increasingly used as outcome measures in trials of potentially disease-modifying therapies.
Large multicenter studies are currently investigating the value of other imaging and nonimaging markers as adjuncts to clinical assessment in diagnosis and monitoring of progression.
The utility of structural imaging and other markers will be increased by standardization of acquisition and analysis methods, and by development of robust algorithms for automated assessment.

Why it matters

Structural MRI can help diagnose Alzheimer's and other dementias and is used to track brain shrinkage in trials of potential disease-modifying therapies. It is a diagnostic and monitoring tool, not itself a treatment or cure.

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Study details

Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 56/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Nature reviews. Neurology)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Nature Reviews Neurology: journal h-index 269 (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	2010 — 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)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	7 / 7	Cited 2,115 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	5 / 5	117.5 citations a year over 18 year(s) since 2010
Impact for its field and year	4 / 6	Cited 11.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	4 / 6	Cited by 75 other studies in this library
Still being cited	4 / 4	Cited 536 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Paul M. Thompson: h-index 193 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 4 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 20139996)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	56 / 100	—

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