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The role of TREM2 in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders
Carmona S, Zahs K, Wu E, Dakin K, Bras J, Guerreiro R.. The Lancet. Neurology, 2018-07-17
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Alzheimer's disease is a genetically complex disorder; rare variants in the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) gene have been shown to as much as triple an individual's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. TREM2 is a transmembrane receptor expressed in cells of the myeloid lineage, and its association with Alzheimer's disease supports the involvement of immune and inflammatory pathways in the cause of the disease, rather than as a consequence of the disease. TREM2 variants associated with Alzheimer's disease induce partial loss of function of the TREM2 protein and alter the behaviour of microglial cells, including their response to amyloid plaques.
Key findings
- TREM2 is a transmembrane receptor expressed in cells of the myeloid lineage, and its association with Alzheimer's disease supports the involvement of immune and inflammatory pathways in the cause of the disease, rather than as a consequence of the disease.
- TREM2 variants associated with Alzheimer's disease induce partial loss of function of the TREM2 protein and alter the behaviour of microglial cells, including their response to amyloid plaques.
- TREM2 variants have also been shown to cause polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy and frontotemporal dementia.
- Although the low frequency of TREM2 variants makes it difficult to establish robust genotype-phenotype correlations, such studies are essential to enable a comprehensive understanding of the role of TREM2 in different neurological diseases, with the ultimate goal of developing novel therapeutic approaches.
Why it matters
This review explains that rare TREM2 variants can as much as triple Alzheimer's risk and cause partial loss of TREM2 function, altering microglial behavior including their response to amyloid plaques. It supports immune and inflammatory pathways being involved in causing the disease, but reports no treatment.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 53/100
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 (The Lancet. Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | The Lancet Neurology: journal h-index 457 (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 | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 249 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 24.9 citations a year over 10 year(s) since 2018 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.5× 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 85 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Rita João Guerreiro: h-index 79 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 30033062) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(18)30232-1
- PubMed: 30033062
- Original source →
- Free full text: UCL Discovery (University College London) →
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
Carmona, S., Zahs, K., Wu, E., Dakin, K., Bras, J., & Guerreiro, R. (2018). The role of TREM2 in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. The Lancet. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(18)30232-1
Vancouver
Carmona S, Zahs K, Wu E, Dakin K, Bras J, Guerreiro R. The role of TREM2 in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. The Lancet. Neurology. 2018. doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(18)30232-1. PMID: 30033062.
BibTeX
@article{carmona2018-30033062,
author = {Carmona, S. and Zahs, K. and Wu, E. and Dakin, K. and Bras, J. and Guerreiro, R.},
title = {{The role of TREM2 in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders}},
journal = {The Lancet. Neurology},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1016/s1474-4422(18)30232-1},
pmid = {30033062},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(18)30232-1}
}
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