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44/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 44 out of 100. Biomarkers

Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) causes lacunar stroke and vascular cognitive impairment in older people. The pathogenic pathways from vessel pathology to parenchymal damage in SVD are unknown. Neurofilaments are axonal structural proteins. Neurofilament-light (NfL) is an emerging biomarker for neurological disease. Here, we examined the high molecular weight form neurofilament-heavy (NfH) and quantified a characteristic pattern of peri-arterial (vasculocentric) NfH labeling. Subcortical frontal and parietal white matter from young adult controls, aged controls, and older people with SVD or severe Alzheimer disease (n = 52) was immunohistochemically labeled for hyperphosphorylated NfH (pNfH). The extent of pNfH immunolabeling and the degree of vasculocentric axonal pNfH were quantified. Axonal pNfH immunolabeling was sparse in young adults but a common finding in older persons (controls, SVD, or AD). Axonal pNfH was often markedly concentrated around small penetrating arteries. This vasculocentric feature was more common in older people with SVD than in those with severe AD (p = 0.004). We conclude that axonal pNfH is a feature of subcortical white matter in aged brains. Vasculocentric axonal pNfH is a novel parenchymal lesion that is co-located with SVD arteriopathy and could be a consequence of vessel pathology.

Key findings

We conclude that axonal pNfH is a feature of subcortical white matter in aged brains.

Why it matters

In brain tissue from 52 people, a vasculocentric pattern of axonal pNfH was more common in older people with small vessel disease than in those with severe Alzheimer's disease. This is a tissue study of a lesion pattern and does not test any treatment, cure or prevention.

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Study details

Participants52
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 44/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / 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	3 / 5	2022 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	1 / 4	52 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)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	2 / 7	Cited 10 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	1 / 5	1.7 citations a year over 6 year(s) since 2022
Impact for its field and year	2 / 6	Cited 1.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	1 / 6	Cited by 1 other studies in this library
Still being cited	1 / 4	Cited 7 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	2 / 4	Last-listed author Atticus H. Hainsworth: h-index 36 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	University of Oxford: institution h-index 2,205 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 3 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 35086142)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	44 / 100	—

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Read the original

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

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APA 7th

Anad, A., Barker, M. K., Katanga, J. A., Arfanakis, K., Bridges, L. R., Esiri, M. M., et al. (2022). Vasculocentric Axonal NfH in Small Vessel Disease. Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnen/nlab134

Vancouver

Anad A, Barker MK, Katanga JA, Arfanakis K, Bridges LR, Esiri MM, et al. Vasculocentric Axonal NfH in Small Vessel Disease. Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology. 2022. doi:10.1093/jnen/nlab134. PMID: 35086142.

BibTeX

@article{anad2022-35086142,
  author  = {Anad, A. and Barker, M. K. and Katanga, J. A. and Arfanakis, K. and Bridges, L. R. and Esiri, M. M. and Isaacs, J. D. and Prpar Mihevc, S. and others},
  title   = {{Vasculocentric Axonal NfH in Small Vessel Disease}},
  journal = {Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology},
  year    = {2022},
  doi     = {10.1093/jnen/nlab134},
  pmid    = {35086142},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1093/jnen/nlab134}
}

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