Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38869988›Full record

ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2024

Double-Edged Sword: A Positive Brain Scan Result Heightens Confidence in an Alzheimer's Diagnosis But Also Leads to Higher Stigma Among Older Adults in a Vignette-Based Experiment.

Shana D Stites, Brian N Lee, Emily A Largent, Kristin Harkins, Pamela Sankar, Abba Krieger, Rebecca T Brown

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing 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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Effects of caregiving experience on expectations of becoming an Alzheimer's disease caregiver in the future.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
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

7 authors.

Shana D StitesDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3994-4343
Brian N LeeDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6090-4306
Emily A LargentDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7536-5077
Kristin HarkinsDivision of Geriatric Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5360-1043
Pamela SankarDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Abba KriegerDepartment of Statistics, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Rebecca T BrownDivision of Geriatric Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7483-4137

Funding

Research Education ComponentP30AG072979 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI DAVID A WOLK · 2021 to 2026
$24.8M
Study of Cognitive Symptoms and Future Time Perspective in Preclinical Alzheimer's DiseaseK23AG065442 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI STITES, SHANA D. · 2020 to 2024
$886k
UNDERSTANDING HOW THE STUDY PARTNER REQUIREMENT IMPACTS THE DISCOVERY AND TRANSLATION OF PRECLINICAL ALZHEIMERS DISEASEK01AG064123 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI LARGENT, EMILY · 2019 to 2023
$637k
Alzheimer's Association AARF-17-528934CDC HHS U48 DP-005053NIA NIH HHS K01 AG064123NIA NIH HHS K23 AG065442NIA NIH HHS P30 AG072979NIH HHS NIA P30 AG 072979
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesEarly diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) using brain scans and other biomarker tests will be essential to increasing the benefits of emerging disease-modifying therapies, but AD biomarkers may have unintended negative consequences on stigma. We examined how a brain scan result affects AD diagnosis confidence and AD stigma.

methodsThe study used a vignette-based experiment with a 2 × 2 × 3 factorial design of main effects: a brain scan result as positive or negative, treatment availability and symptom stage. We sampled 1,283 adults ages 65 and older between June 11and July 3, 2019. Participants (1) rated their confidence in an AD diagnosis in each of four medical evaluations that varied in number and type of diagnostic tools and (2) read a vignette about a fictional patient with varied characteristics before completing the Modified Family Stigma in Alzheimer's Disease Scale (FS-ADS). We examined mean diagnosis confidence by medical evaluation type. We conducted between-group comparisons of diagnosis confidence and FS-ADS scores in the positive versus negative brain scan result conditions and, in the positive condition, by symptom stage and treatment availability.

resultsA positive versus negative test result corresponds with higher confidence in an AD diagnosis independent of medical evaluation type (all p < .001). A positive result correlates with stronger reactions on 6 of 7 FS-ADS domains (all p < .001). DISCUSSION: A positive biomarker result heightens AD diagnosis confidence but also correlates with more AD stigma. Our findings inform strategies to promote early diagnosis and clinical discussions with individuals undergoing AD biomarker testing.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseSocial StigmaAgedAged, 80 and overBiomarkersBrainEarly DiagnosisFemaleHumansMaleNeuroimagingSelf ConceptBiomarkersAlzheimer’s stigmaBiomarker testingDiagnosis confidence

Identifiers

PMID38869988
PMCPMC11237985

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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 Socratic graph.