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The spectrum of disease in chronic traumatic encephalopathy
McKee AC, Stern RA, Nowinski CJ, Stein TD, Alvarez VE, Daneshvar DH, Lee HS, Wojtowicz SM et al.. Brain : a journal of neurology, 2012-12-02
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Plain-language summary
The frequent association of chronic traumatic encephalopathy with other neurodegenerative disorders suggests that repetitive brain trauma and hyperphosphorylated tau protein deposition promote the accumulation of other abnormally aggregated proteins including TAR DNA-binding protein 43, amyloid beta protein and alpha-synuclein.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
McKee, A. C., Stern, R. A., Nowinski, C. J., Stein, T. D., Alvarez, V. E., Daneshvar, D. H., et al. (2013). The spectrum of disease in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Brain : a journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/aws307
Vancouver
McKee AC, Stern RA, Nowinski CJ, Stein TD, Alvarez VE, Daneshvar DH, et al. The spectrum of disease in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2013. doi:10.1093/brain/aws307. PMID: 23208308.
BibTeX
@article{mckee2013-23208308,
author = {McKee, A. C. and Stern, R. A. and Nowinski, C. J. and Stein, T. D. and Alvarez, V. E. and Daneshvar, D. H. and Lee, H. S. and Wojtowicz, S. M. and others},
title = {{The spectrum of disease in chronic traumatic encephalopathy}},
journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1093/brain/aws307},
pmid = {23208308},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/aws307}
}
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Key findings
- The frequent association of chronic traumatic encephalopathy with other neurodegenerative disorders suggests that repetitive brain trauma and hyperphosphorylated tau protein deposition promote the accumulation of other abnormally aggregated proteins including TAR DNA-binding protein 43, amyloid beta protein and alpha-synuclein.
Why it matters
In this 2013 paper, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain disease linked to repetitive head trauma, was frequently found alongside other neurodegenerative disorders. From that association, the authors suggest that repeated brain trauma and tau deposits may promote the build-up of other abnormal proteins: TDP-43, amyloid beta and alpha-synuclein. This is a proposed explanation drawn from co-occurrence, not a proven cause, and our record includes no methods, sample size or numbers to judge it by.
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Study details
- Participants85
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 66/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Brain : a journal of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Brain: journal h-index 503 (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 | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2013 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 85 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 2,098 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 139.9 citations a year over 15 year(s) since 2013 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 92.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 59 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 311 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Robert C. Cantu: h-index 95 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Mayo Clinic: institution h-index 1,606 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 23208308) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 66 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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