Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34550726›Full record

ArticleScience translational medicine2021

In vivo and neuropathology data support locus coeruleus integrity as indicator of Alzheimer's disease pathology and cognitive decline.

Heidi I L Jacobs, John A Becker, Kenneth Kwong, Nina Engels-Domínguez, Prokopis C Prokopiou, Kathryn V Papp, Michael Properzi, Olivia L Hampton, Federico d'Oleire Uquillas, Justin S Sanchez and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science translational medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 153 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
153citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

153 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Daily heart rate variability biofeedback training decreases locus coeruleus MRI contrast in younger adults in a randomized clinical trial.International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology · 2023
    Trial
  3. Article
  4. Are infraslow oscillations the missing link between sleep and Alzheimer's?Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Vulnerability of locus coeruleus connections to aging and Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. A gradual and sustainable approach to diagnosing sleep and circadian disturbances in dementia.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Attenuated pupillary response during visual search in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Article
  16. Impact of early locus coeruleus lesions in the TgF344 Alzheimer's disease rat model.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Article
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. The neuromodulatory fragility hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Article

93 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

17 authors.

Heidi I L JacobsGordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7620-3822
John A BeckerGordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7435-1338
Kenneth KwongHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Nina Engels-DomínguezGordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9871-6829
Prokopis C ProkopiouGordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5444-8359
Kathryn V PappHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1687-4370
Michael ProperziHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7855-2372
Olivia L HamptonDepartment of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Federico d'Oleire UquillasPrinceton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9078-9452
Justin S SanchezGordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4421-3078
Dorene M RentzHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6318-9213
Georges El FakhriGordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Marc D NormandinGordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1645-523X
Julie C PriceHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
David A BennettDepartment of Neurological Sciences, Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3689-554X
Reisa A SperlingHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1535-6133
Keith A JohnsonGordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5916-6043

Funding

NATIONAL ALZHEIMERS COORDINATING CENTER (NACC)U01AG016976 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI KUKULL, WALTER ANTHONY · 1999 to 2020
$72.8M
Alzheimer's Disease Genetics ConsortiumU01AG032984 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI SCHELLENBERG, GERARD DAVID · 2009 to 2024
$60.4M
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF INTRA-NASAL INSULIN DETEMIRP50AG005136 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI GRABOWSKI, THOMAS J. · 1985 to 2019
$57.2M
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ALZHEIMERS DISEASE RESEARCH CENTERP50AG005681 · NIA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI FAGAN, ANNE · 1985 to 2019
$52.1M
Vascular factors, physical activity, and inflammation as modulators of neurodegenerative and cognitive trajectories (Project 2)P01AG036694 · NIA · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI REISA A. SPERLING · 2010 to 2026
$50.2M
SUPPLEMENT TO RUSH ALZHEIMERS DISEASE CENTER COREP30AG010161 · NIA · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI LEURGANS, SUE E. · 1991 to 2020
$49.1M
Satellite Diagnostic and Treatment Clinic CoreP50AG008702 · NIA · COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE · PI DE JAGER, PHILIP L · 1989 to 2019
$46.3M
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF NEURAL RESERVE AND NEUROBIOLOGY IN AGINGR01AG017917 · NIA · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI BENNETT, DAVID ALAN · 2001 to 2023
$43.3M
TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASEP50AG005133 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI KAMBOH, M. ILYAS · 1985 to 2019
$43.0M
VASCULAR RISK AND COGNITIVE STATUS IN A LATINO POPULATIONP50AG005142 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI BRASKIE, MEREDITH NICOLE · 1985 to 2019
$41.0M
VESICULAR LOCALIZATION AND FUNCTION OF PRESENILIN 1 FRAGMENTP50AG005138 · NIA · MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF NYU · PI GROSSMAN, HILLEL · 1985 to 2019
$37.9M
'T V ASSESSMENT - MEMORY DISORDERED PATIENTS'P50AG005146 · NIA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI ALBERT, MARILYN S. · 1985 to 2019
$37.6M
NCRR NIH HHS S10 RR019307NCRR NIH HHS S10 RR021110NCRR NIH HHS S10 RR023043NCRR NIH HHS S10 RR023401NIA NIH HHS P01 AG036694NIA NIH HHS P30 AG008017NIA NIH HHS P30 AG008051NIA NIH HHS P30 AG010124NIA NIH HHS P30 AG010129NIA NIH HHS P30 AG010133NIA NIH HHS P30 AG010161NIA NIH HHS P30 AG012300NIA NIH HHS P30 AG013846NIA NIH HHS P30 AG013854NIA NIH HHS P30 AG019610NIA NIH HHS P30 AG028383NIA NIH HHS P30 AG035982NIA NIH HHS P30 AG049638NIA NIH HHS P30 AG053760NIA NIH HHS P30 AG062421NIA NIH HHS P30 AG062422NIA NIH HHS P30 AG062428NIA NIH HHS P30 AG062429NIA NIH HHS P30 AG062715NIA NIH HHS P30 AG066444NIA NIH HHS P30 AG066509NIA NIH HHS P30 AG072977NIA NIH HHS P30 AG072980NIA NIH HHS P50 AG005133NIA NIH HHS P50 AG005136NIA NIH HHS P50 AG005138NIA NIH HHS P50 AG005142NIA NIH HHS P50 AG005146NIA NIH HHS P50 AG005681NIA NIH HHS P50 AG008702NIA NIH HHS P50 AG016573NIA NIH HHS P50 AG023501NIA NIH HHS P50 AG025688NIA NIH HHS P50 AG047266NIA NIH HHS P50 AG047270NIA NIH HHS P50 AG047366NIA NIH HHS R01 AG015819NIA NIH HHS R01 AG017917NIA NIH HHS R01 AG046396NIA NIH HHS R01 AG050436NIA NIH HHS R01 AG052414NIA NIH HHS R01 AG062559NIA NIH HHS U01 AG016976NIA NIH HHS U01 AG032984NIBIB NIH HHS P41 EB022544NIBIB NIH HHS T32 EB013180NIH HHS S10 OD010364NIH HHS S10 OD018035
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Several autopsy studies recognize the locus coeruleus (LC) as the initial site of hyperphosphorylated TAU aggregation, and as the number of LC neurons harboring TAU increases, TAU pathology emerges throughout the cortex. By conjointly using dedicated MRI measures of LC integrity and TAU and amyloid PET imaging, we aimed to address the question whether in vivo LC measures relate to initial cortical patterns of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) fibrillar proteinopathies or cognitive dysfunction in 174 cognitively unimpaired and impaired older individuals with longitudinal cognitive measures. To guide our interpretations, we verified these associations in autopsy data from 1524 Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project and 2145 National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center cases providing three different LC measures (pigmentation, tangle density, and neuronal density), Braak staging, β-amyloid, and longitudinal cognitive measures. Lower LC integrity was associated with elevated TAU deposition in the entorhinal cortex among unimpaired individuals consistent with postmortem correlations between LC tangle density and successive Braak staging. LC pigmentation ratings correlated with LC neuronal density but not with LC tangle density and were particularly worse at advanced Braak stages. In the context of elevated β-amyloid, lower LC integrity and greater cortical tangle density were associated with greater TAU burden beyond the medial temporal lobe and retrospective memory decline. These findings support neuropathologic data in which early LC TAU accumulation relates to disease progression and identify LC integrity as a promising indicator of initial AD-related processes and subtle changes in cognitive trajectories of preclinical AD.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCognitive DysfunctionHumansLocus CoeruleusNeuropathology

Identifiers

PMID34550726
PMCPMC8641759

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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.