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67/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 67 out of 100. TREM2 and immune genetics

Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models

Background TREM2 encodes for triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 and has rare, coding variants that associate with risk for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) in Caucasians of European and North-American origin. This study evaluated the role of TREM2 in LOAD risk in African-American (AA) subjects. We performed exonic sequencing and validation in two independent cohorts of >800 subjects.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Jin, S. C., Carrasquillo, M. M., Benitez, B. A., Skorupa, T., Carrell, D., Patel, D., et al. (2015). TREM2 is associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease in African Americans. Molecular neurodegeneration. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-015-0016-9

Vancouver

Jin SC, Carrasquillo MM, Benitez BA, Skorupa T, Carrell D, Patel D, et al. TREM2 is associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease in African Americans. Molecular neurodegeneration. 2015. doi:10.1186/s13024-015-0016-9. PMID: 25886450.

BibTeX

@article{jin2015-25886450,
  author  = {Jin, S. C. and Carrasquillo, M. M. and Benitez, B. A. and Skorupa, T. and Carrell, D. and Patel, D. and Lincoln, S. and Krishnan, S. and others},
  title   = {{TREM2 is associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease in African Americans}},
  journal = {Molecular neurodegeneration},
  year    = {2015},
  doi     = {10.1186/s13024-015-0016-9},
  pmid    = {25886450},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-015-0016-9}
}

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Key findings

This study evaluated the role of TREM2 in LOAD risk in African-American (AA) subjects.
We performed exonic sequencing and validation in two independent cohorts of >800 subjects.
We selected six coding variants (p.R47H, p.R62H, p.D87N, p.E151K, p.W191X, and p.L211P) for case-control analyses in a total of 906 LOAD cases vs. 2,487 controls.
Results We identified significant LOAD risk association with p.L211P (p=0.01, OR=1.27, 95%CI=1.05-1.54) and suggestive association with p.W191X (p=0.08, OR=1.35, 95%CI=0.97-1.87).

Why it matters

Earlier studies linked rare TREM2 gene variants to late-onset Alzheimer's disease in people of European origin; this study tested six such variants in African Americans (906 people with Alzheimer's and 2,487 without). One variant, p.L211P, was modestly more common in people with Alzheimer's (odds ratio 1.27, 95% CI 1.05–1.54), while p.W191X showed only a non-significant trend (odds ratio 1.35, 95% CI 0.97–1.87). This is a genetic association in one population, not a cause, and it reports no treatment, cure or prevention.

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Study details

Study designcase-control study
Participants800
Effect sizeOR=1.27; OR=1.35
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 67/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a case-control study. Scored zero for randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Molecular neurodegeneration)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	Molecular Neurodegeneration: journal h-index 164 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	6 / 12	A case-control study
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	2015 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	800 participants
Effect reported	3 / 3	Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar)
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	5 / 7	Cited 154 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	3 / 5	11.8 citations a year over 13 year(s) since 2015
Impact for its field and year	4 / 6	Cited 12.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	4 / 6	Cited by 38 other studies in this library
Still being cited	2 / 4	Cited 32 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	3 / 4	Last-listed author Nilüfer Ertekin‐Taner: h-index 66 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	3 / 3	OpenAlex lists 12 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 25886450)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	67 / 100	—

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