Home › Research › Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
The pathological association between Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease
Mann DM.. Mechanisms of ageing and development, 1988-05-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
The neuropathology of Down syndrome (DS) at middle age is compared with that of Alzheimer disease (AD) at that age, through a review of the published literature and from the author's personal observations on brains from a series of patients of different ages with DS. It is noted that the pathological changes of DS at middle age (i.e. the form and distribution of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the pattern of involvement (atrophy) of neuronal systems) are qualitatively the same as those of AD at that age, though quantitative differences do occur and these may relate to biological or sociological variations inherent to the two parent populations. It is concluded that in pathological terms patients with DS at middle age do indeed have AD. Some ways in which a study of patients with DS can give insight into the nature and development of the pathological changes of AD are put forward and discussed.
Key findings
- The neuropathology of Down syndrome (DS) at middle age is compared with that of Alzheimer disease (AD) at that age, through a review of the published literature and from the author's personal observations on brains from a series of patients of different ages with DS.
- It is concluded that in pathological terms patients with DS at middle age do indeed have AD.
Why it matters
By comparing brains from people with Down syndrome with published descriptions of Alzheimer's disease, this 1988 paper found that plaques, tangles and the pattern of brain shrinkage at middle age are "qualitatively the same" in both conditions, though "quantitative differences do occur." It concluded that "in pathological terms" people with Down syndrome at middle age "do indeed have" Alzheimer's disease. This finding describes brain tissue after death, not memory or dementia symptoms, and the summary gives no sample size and tests no treatment.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 44/100
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 (Mechanisms of ageing and development) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Mechanisms of Ageing and Development: journal h-index 172 (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 | 1988 — 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 347 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 8.7 citations a year over 40 year(s) since 1988 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 19.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 40 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 29 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author D. M. A. Mann: h-index 12 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Manchester: institution h-index 1,304 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 2969441) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 44 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
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
Mann, D. M. (1988). The pathological association between Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease. Mechanisms of ageing and development. https://doi.org/10.1016/0047-6374(88)90041-3
Vancouver
Mann DM. The pathological association between Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease. Mechanisms of ageing and development. 1988. doi:10.1016/0047-6374(88)90041-3. PMID: 2969441.
BibTeX
@article{mann1988-2969441,
author = {Mann, D. M.},
title = {{The pathological association between Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease}},
journal = {Mechanisms of ageing and development},
year = {1988},
doi = {10.1016/0047-6374(88)90041-3},
pmid = {2969441},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/0047-6374(88)90041-3}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
40 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
Also tagged “down”
527 studies in the library carry the topic tag “down”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 527 tagged studies.