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45/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 45 out of 100. Inflammation and the immune system

Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models

Plain-language summary

The expression of the purinergic receptor subtype P2X(7)R, a nonselective cationic channel activated by high levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), has been studied in adult microglia obtained from Alzheimer disease (AD) and nondemented (ND) brains, in fetal human microglia exposed to Abeta(1-42) peptide and in vivo in Abeta(1-42)-injected rat hippocampus. Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction showed enhanced expression (increase of 70%) of P2X(7)R in AD microglia compared with ND cells (analysis of 6 AD and 8 ND cases). Immunohistochemical analysis showed prominent P2X(7)R expression in association with Abeta plaques and localized to HLA-DR-immunoreactive microglia.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Low

Microglia from Alzheimer's disease brains and from amyloid-beta-treated cells showed increased P2X7 receptor expression, and similar findings appeared in amyloid-beta-injected rat hippocampus. Reported effect size: increased by 145%.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

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

APA 7th

McLarnon, J. G., Ryu, J. K., Walker, D. G., & Choi, H. B. (2006). Upregulated expression of purinergic P2X(7) receptor in Alzheimer disease and amyloid-beta peptide-treated microglia and in peptide-injected rat hippocampus. Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.jnen.0000240470.97295.d3

Vancouver

McLarnon JG, Ryu JK, Walker DG, Choi HB. Upregulated expression of purinergic P2X(7) receptor in Alzheimer disease and amyloid-beta peptide-treated microglia and in peptide-injected rat hippocampus. Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology. 2006. doi:10.1097/01.jnen.0000240470.97295.d3. PMID: 17086106.

BibTeX

@article{mclarnon2006-17086106,
  author  = {McLarnon, J. G. and Ryu, J. K. and Walker, D. G. and Choi, H. B.},
  title   = {{Upregulated expression of purinergic P2X(7) receptor in Alzheimer disease and amyloid-beta peptide-treated microglia and in peptide-injected rat hippocampus}},
  journal = {Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology},
  year    = {2006},
  doi     = {10.1097/01.jnen.0000240470.97295.d3},
  pmid    = {17086106},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1097/01.jnen.0000240470.97295.d3}
}

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.

How to read this study

Design: our record does not state a study design, so check the methods section of the original before weighing the result.
Size: the record gives no participant count. Look for one in the original before trusting a pattern.
Effect: the record reports “increased by 145%”. A statistically significant result can still be small in daily life.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

New to reading papers? Six questions to ask of any Alzheimer’s study · how we score.

Key findings

Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction showed enhanced expression (increase of 70%) of P2X(7)R in AD microglia compared with ND cells (analysis of 6 AD and 8 ND cases).
Immunohistochemical analysis showed prominent P2X(7)R expression in association with Abeta plaques and localized to HLA-DR-immunoreactive microglia.
In cultured fetal human microglia, cells exposed to Abeta(1-42) (5 microM for 18 hours) had significantly elevated levels of P2X(7)R (by 106%) compared with untreated cells.
Amplitudes of Ca(2+) responses in these cells, induced by the selective P2X(7)R agonist BzATP, were increased by 145% with Abeta(1-42) pretreatment relative to control (no peptide pretreatment) and were largely blocked if the P2X(7)R inhibitor-oxidized ATP (oxATP) was added with peptide in pretreatment solution.

Why it matters

Study details

Effect sizeincreased by 145%
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 45/100

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

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology: journal h-index 239 (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	2006 — 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	2 / 3	Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test
Studied in people	0 / 3	Laboratory or animal study (title names “rat”) — scores zero
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	5 / 7	Cited 281 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	3 / 5	12.8 citations a year over 22 year(s) since 2006
Impact for its field and year	3 / 6	Cited 3.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	2 / 6	Cited by 6 other studies in this library
Still being cited	3 / 4	Cited 54 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	2 / 4	Last-listed author Hyun B. Choi: h-index 34 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	University of British Columbia: institution h-index 1,424 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 2 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 17086106)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	45 / 100	—

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