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White Matter Hyperintensities in Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia and Semantic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia
Rafi Hadad, Yann Cobigo, Andjelika Milicic, Elena Tsoy, Maria Luisa Mandelli, Amy A. Wolf, Leslie S. Gaynor, Katherine L. Possin et al.. Neurology Open Access, 2026-01-23
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
hexanucleotide repeat expansions (HRE) and WMH in bvFTD patients. bvFTD and svPPA are associated with elevated WMH burden independent of CVRF. In bvFTD, WMH are primarily distributed within the frontal lobes, while svPPA shows widespread distribution across lobes. Study limitations include its retrospective, single-center design and limited power for genetic subgroup analyses.
Key findings
- hexanucleotide repeat expansions (HRE) and WMH in bvFTD patients. bvFTD and svPPA are associated with elevated WMH burden independent of CVRF.
- In bvFTD, WMH are primarily distributed within the frontal lobes, while svPPA shows widespread distribution across lobes.
- Study limitations include its retrospective, single-center design and limited power for genetic subgroup analyses.
Why it matters
People with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and semantic variant primary progressive aphasia had more white matter hyperintensities than expected, even without cardiovascular risk factors. This was a small, single-center, retrospective study, so it does not provide a treatment or prevention approach.
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neurology Open Access) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Neurology Open Access: journal h-index 5 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| 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 | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| 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) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 2 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Victor Valcour: h-index 61 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, San Francisco: institution h-index 1,915 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41799019) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1212/wn9.0000000000000064
- PubMed: 41799019
- Original source →
- Free full text: Neurology Open Access →
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
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Hadad, R., Cobigo, Y., Milicic, A., Tsoy, E., Mandelli, M. L., Wolf, A. A., et al. (2026). White Matter Hyperintensities in Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia and Semantic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia. Neurology Open Access. https://doi.org/10.1212/wn9.0000000000000064
Vancouver
Hadad R, Cobigo Y, Milicic A, Tsoy E, Mandelli ML, Wolf AA, et al. White Matter Hyperintensities in Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia and Semantic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia. Neurology Open Access. 2026. doi:10.1212/wn9.0000000000000064. PMID: 41799019.
BibTeX
@article{hadad2026-41799019,
author = {Hadad, Rafi and Cobigo, Yann and Milicic, Andjelika and Tsoy, Elena and Mandelli, Maria Luisa and Wolf, Amy A. and Gaynor, Leslie S. and Possin, Katherine L. and others},
title = {{White Matter Hyperintensities in Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia and Semantic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia}},
journal = {Neurology Open Access},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1212/wn9.0000000000000064},
pmid = {41799019},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wn9.0000000000000064}
}
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