Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33835723›Full record

ArticleAnnals of clinical and translational neurology2021

The predictive value of normal EEGs in dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.

Casper T Briels, Cornelis J Stam, Philip Scheltens, Alida A Gouw

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of clinical and translational neurology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Tracking electrophysiological signatures of Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review of multimodal studies.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. The effects of different acetylcholinesterase inhibitors on EEG patterns in patients with Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2024
    Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Casper T BrielsDepartment of Neurology, Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5043-9554
Cornelis J StamDepartment of Clinical Neurophysiology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Philip ScheltensDepartment of Neurology, Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Alida A GouwDepartment of Neurology, Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Amsterdam Neuroscience · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo determine differences in clinical presentation and disease progression between patients with dementia due to AD with visually normal and abnormal EEG recordings. We hypothesized that patients with normal electroencephalographs (EEGs) are a representation of the heterogeneity of AD. We expected this group to have a phenotype with relatively predominant hippocampal atrophy, memory deficits, and a slower disease progression.

methodsPatients were included based on diagnosis of dementia due to AD, positive amyloid and tau cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, and the availability of EEG recordings. Patients were categorized in groups of normal (N = 208) and abnormal (N = 336) EEG recordings based on visual assessment by experienced neurophysiologists. At baseline demographics, cognitive, MRI, and CSF measures were compared between groups. Cognitive data from follow-up visits were assessed by linear mixed-effects models (LMMs), and corrected for baseline value, sex, age, and educational level, to compare cognitive deterioration over time between groups.

resultsAbout 1 in 4.5 patients with AD dementia had a visually normal EEG and this group showed better overall cognitive performance compared to the abnormal group, where memory was the most prominent affected domain. The normal group showed less global and parietal but similar medial temporal atrophy. Follow-up data showed a slower deterioration on all tested cognitive domains in the normal EEG group.

interpretationPatients with dementia due to AD and visually normal EEG recordings showed a milder clinical presentation and had a milder disease progression compared to patients with an abnormal EEG. These results provide evidence of clinical and biological heterogeneity within AD dementia.

Indexed as

AgedAlzheimer DiseaseAtrophyCerebral CortexDisease ProgressionElectroencephalographyFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsPredictive Value of Tests

Identifiers

PMID33835723
PMCPMC8108419
OpenAlexW3140215268

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.