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Widespread brain tau and its association with ageing, Braak stage and Alzheimer's dementia
Lowe VJ, Wiste HJ, Senjem ML, Weigand SD, Therneau TM, Boeve BF, Josephs KA, Fang P et al.. Brain : a journal of neurology, 2018-01-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
In older cognitively unimpaired individuals (≥50 years), widespread, age-related elevated tau signal was seen among those with normal or abnormal amyloid status as compared to younger cognitively unimpaired individuals (30-49 years). More frequent regional tau signal elevation throughout the brain was seen in cognitively unimpaired individuals with abnormal versus normal amyloid. Our findings also suggest the possibility of widespread development of early tangle pathology rather than a pattern defined exclusively by adjacent, region-to-region spread, prior to onset of clinical symptoms. Distinct patterns of neurofibrillary tangle deposition in younger-onset Alzheimer's disease dementia versus older-onset Alzheimer's disease dementia provide evidence for variability in regional tangle deposition patterns and demonstrate that different disease phenotypes have different patterns of tauopathy.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Lowe, V. J., Wiste, H. J., Senjem, M. L., Weigand, S. D., Therneau, T. M., Boeve, B. F., et al. (2018). Widespread brain tau and its association with ageing, Braak stage and Alzheimer's dementia. Brain : a journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awx320
Vancouver
Lowe VJ, Wiste HJ, Senjem ML, Weigand SD, Therneau TM, Boeve BF, et al. Widespread brain tau and its association with ageing, Braak stage and Alzheimer's dementia. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2018. doi:10.1093/brain/awx320. PMID: 29228201.
BibTeX
@article{lowe2018-29228201,
author = {Lowe, V. J. and Wiste, H. J. and Senjem, M. L. and Weigand, S. D. and Therneau, T. M. and Boeve, B. F. and Josephs, K. A. and Fang, P. and others},
title = {{Widespread brain tau and its association with ageing, Braak stage and Alzheimer's dementia}},
journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1093/brain/awx320},
pmid = {29228201},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awx320}
}
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Key findings
- In older cognitively unimpaired individuals (≥50 years), widespread, age-related elevated tau signal was seen among those with normal or abnormal amyloid status as compared to younger cognitively unimpaired individuals (30-49 years).
- More frequent regional tau signal elevation throughout the brain was seen in cognitively unimpaired individuals with abnormal versus normal amyloid.
- Our findings also suggest the possibility of widespread development of early tangle pathology rather than a pattern defined exclusively by adjacent, region-to-region spread, prior to onset of clinical symptoms.
- Distinct patterns of neurofibrillary tangle deposition in younger-onset Alzheimer's disease dementia versus older-onset Alzheimer's disease dementia provide evidence for variability in regional tangle deposition patterns and demonstrate that different disease phenotypes have different patterns of tauopathy.
Why it matters
This study found widespread, age-related elevated tau signal in older cognitively unimpaired individuals, with more frequent regional tau elevation in those with abnormal versus normal amyloid. It suggests early tangle pathology may develop widely rather than only by region-to-region spread before clinical symptoms, which may inform understanding of how Alzheimer's disease begins, but it reports no treatment or cure.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 70/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for sample size and effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Brain : a journal of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Brain: journal h-index 503 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial (from PubMed type “Randomized Controlled Trial”) |
| 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 | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 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 | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study) |
| Randomised / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomised (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 303 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 30.3 citations a year over 10 year(s) since 2018 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 19.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 25 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 84 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Clifford R. Jack: h-index 203 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Mayo Clinic: institution h-index 1,606 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 29228201) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 70 / 100 | — |
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