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Trace amounts of copper in water induce beta-amyloid plaques and learning deficits in a rabbit model of Alzheimer's disease
Sparks DL, Schreurs BG.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2003-08-14
Topic: Gut, metabolism and diet
Despite the crucial role played by cholesterol and copper in nutrition and normal brain function, recent evidence indicates that they may both be important factors in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we provide critical evidence for the role of cholesterol and copper in AD by showing that the addition of trace amounts of copper (0.12 ppm) to water given to cholesterol-fed rabbits can induce beta-amyloid (Abeta) accumulation, including senile plaque-like structures in the hippocampus and temporal lobe, and can significantly retard the ability of rabbits to learn a difficult trace conditioning task. The Abeta deposits do not affect the ability of rabbits to detect or respond to the training stimuli nor to learn a simpler delay conditioning task. Trace amounts of copper in drinking water may influence clearance of Abeta from the brain at the level of the interface between the blood and cerebrovasculature and combined with high cholesterol may be a key component to the accumulation of Abeta in the brain, having a significant impact on learning and memory. Cholesterol-fed rabbits have at least 12 pathological markers seen in AD, suggesting that the cholesterol-fed rabbit is a good animal model for studying AD.
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APA 7th
Sparks, D. L., & Schreurs, B. G. (2003). Trace amounts of copper in water induce beta-amyloid plaques and learning deficits in a rabbit model of Alzheimer's disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1832769100
Vancouver
Sparks DL, Schreurs BG. Trace amounts of copper in water induce beta-amyloid plaques and learning deficits in a rabbit model of Alzheimer's disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2003. doi:10.1073/pnas.1832769100. PMID: 12920183.
BibTeX
@article{sparks2003-12920183,
author = {Sparks, D. L. and Schreurs, B. G.},
title = {{Trace amounts of copper in water induce beta-amyloid plaques and learning deficits in a rabbit model of Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1832769100},
pmid = {12920183},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1832769100}
}
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Key findings
- Despite the crucial role played by cholesterol and copper in nutrition and normal brain function, recent evidence indicates that they may both be important factors in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- Here we provide critical evidence for the role of cholesterol and copper in AD by showing that the addition of trace amounts of copper (0.12 ppm) to water given to cholesterol-fed rabbits can induce beta-amyloid (Abeta) accumulation, including senile plaque-like structures in the hippocampus and temporal lobe, and can significantly retard the ability of rabbits to learn a difficult trace conditioning task.
- Trace amounts of copper in drinking water may influence clearance of Abeta from the brain at the level of the interface between the blood and cerebrovasculature and combined with high cholesterol may be a key component to the accumulation of Abeta in the brain, having a significant impact on learning and memory.
- Cholesterol-fed rabbits have at least 12 pathological markers seen in AD, suggesting that the cholesterol-fed rabbit is a good animal model for studying AD.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 36/100
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. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multicenter collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 21 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 36 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| 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 | 2003 — 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) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multicenter collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12920183) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 21 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 21 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 36 out of 100. |
| Total | 36 / 100 | — |
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