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White matter structural integrity in healthy aging adults and patients with Alzheimer disease: a magnetic resonance imaging study
Bartzokis G, Cummings JL, Sultzer D, Henderson VW, Nuechterlein KH, Mintz J.. Archives of neurology, 2003-03-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Background Imaging and postmortem studies suggest that frontal lobe white matter (FLWM) volume expands until about the age of 44.6 years and then declines. Postmortem evidence indicates that the structural integrity of myelin sheaths deteriorates during normal aging, especially in late myelinating regions such as the frontal lobes. Objectives To assess the integrity of FLWM by magnetic resonance imaging and, thus, to provide an important index of brain aging and its relationship to Alzheimer disease (AD).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Bartzokis, G., Cummings, J. L., Sultzer, D., Henderson, V. W., Nuechterlein, K. H., & Mintz, J. (2003). White matter structural integrity in healthy aging adults and patients with Alzheimer disease: a magnetic resonance imaging study. Archives of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.60.3.393
Vancouver
Bartzokis G, Cummings JL, Sultzer D, Henderson VW, Nuechterlein KH, Mintz J. White matter structural integrity in healthy aging adults and patients with Alzheimer disease: a magnetic resonance imaging study. Archives of neurology. 2003. doi:10.1001/archneur.60.3.393. PMID: 12633151.
BibTeX
@article{bartzokis2003-12633151,
author = {Bartzokis, G. and Cummings, J. L. and Sultzer, D. and Henderson, V. W. and Nuechterlein, K. H. and Mintz, J.},
title = {{White matter structural integrity in healthy aging adults and patients with Alzheimer disease: a magnetic resonance imaging study}},
journal = {Archives of neurology},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.1001/archneur.60.3.393},
pmid = {12633151},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.60.3.393}
}
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Key findings
- Postmortem evidence indicates that the structural integrity of myelin sheaths deteriorates during normal aging, especially in late myelinating regions such as the frontal lobes.
- Objectives To assess the integrity of FLWM by magnetic resonance imaging and, thus, to provide an important index of brain aging and its relationship to Alzheimer disease (AD).
- Setting Two metropolitan university hospitals and AD research centers.
- Participants Two hundred fifty-two healthy adults (127 men and 125 women), aged 19 to 82 years, and 34 subjects with AD (16 men and 18 women), aged 59 to 85 years.
Why it matters
This cross-sectional MRI study assessed frontal lobe white matter integrity in healthy adults and patients with Alzheimer's disease, relating it to brain aging. It is an imaging study and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants34
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 57/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Archives of Neurology: journal h-index 353 (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 | 1 / 5 | 2003 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 34 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 | 6 / 7 | Cited 414 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 16.6 citations a year over 25 year(s) since 2003 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 12 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 27 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Jim Mintz: h-index 103 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, Los Angeles: institution h-index 1,923 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12633151) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 57 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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