Dr. O’Bryant announced the availability of research data in the June 21 article in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment, and Disease Control, a national journal published by the Alzheimer’s Association. Credit: HSC
A growing body of data to help scientists understand the biology of Alzheimer’s disease among diverse populations in the context of sociocultural, behavioral, and environmental factors is now available through the Center for Translational Research at the Center for Science the University of North Texas Health at Fort Worth (HSC). ).
He research data is the result of the Health and Aging Brain among Latino Elders (HABLE) study, launched in 2017 with $ 12 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health and led by Sid O’Bryant, Ph.D., executive director of the Institute.
In 2020, the HABLE study received an additional $ 45 million from the National Institute on Aging, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. O’Bryant announced the availability of research data in the article published on June 21 a Alzheimer’s and dementia: diagnosis, evaluation and control of diseases, a national journal published by the Alzheimer’s Association.
“The data from this study are first in the field,” Dr. O’Bryant said. “For the first time, we will be able to examine the biology of Alzheimer’s among Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites in the context of sociocultural, environmental, and behavioral factors. Scientists around the world can use this data to address health disparities. define new diagnostic and treatment opportunities for underserved communities “.
The percentage of Spaniards aged 65 and over in the United States will triple in 2050 and, compared to other racial or ethnic groups, is expected to experience the largest increase in Alzheimer’s-related dementia by 2060, according to the document. About 65 percent of U.S. Hispanics are decent Mexican.
However, Mexican Americans are underrepresented in Alzheimer’s research, leading to too few comprehensive studies on the biomarkers of the disease in this population. Early findings suggest that amyloid beta protein — one of the biomarkers of Alzheimer’s — is less common among Mexicans, but Mexicans appear to have a younger onset of cognitive loss.
About 1,000 Mexican Americans and 1,000 non-Latino whites over the age of 50 in North Texas have enrolled in the study, which offers participants recurrent, free global interviews, functional exams, clinical lab tests, brain MRIs, and state-of-the-art PET scans.
PET Scans allow researchers to observe differences over time in the development of biomarkers between Mexican Americans and non-Latino whites.
In December, HSC announced an additional $ 7 million investment to add 1,000 African Americans to the study. Among people age 65 and older, African Americans have the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, followed by Hispanics and non-Latino whites, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The project is the only large-scale global research study on Alzheimer’s of the three largest ethnic groups in the United States: non-Hispanic whites, Mexican Americans, and African Americans.
Sid E. O’Bryant et al, The Health & Aging Brain among Latino Elders (HABLE), study methods and characteristics of participants, Alzheimer’s and dementia: diagnosis, evaluation and control of diseases (2021). DOI: 10.1002 / dad2.12202
Provided by the Center for Health Sciences at the University of North Texas
Citation: The first findings of the study of Alzheimer’s in several populations already available to researchers (2021, June 25), retrieved on June 25, 2021 at https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-06- early-alzheimer-diverse-populations.html
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