Alzheimer Disease Blood Biomarker Concentrations Across Race and Ethnicity Groups in Middle-Aged Adults

Do the concentrations of plasma biomarkers associated with Alzheimer disease differ among race and ethnicity groups in middle-aged adults?In this cohort study of 4340 adults approximately 58 years of age in the High School and Beyond study, compared with White participants, Black participants had lower amyloid-β (Aβ)42/Aβ40 ratios and lower neurofilament light chain concentrations, and Latinx participants had lower glial fibrillary acidic protein concentrations, but these differences were attenuated when statistical techniques were applied to ensure population representation. Common medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high body mass index, were associated with biomarker concentrations, but these associations did not differ across race and ethnicity groups.This study found that Alzheimer disease–associated biomarker concentrations were similar among race and ethnicity groups for middle-aged adults when sampling and statistical modeling techniques were used to ensure population representation.

Corresponding Author: Adam M. Brickman, PhD, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease amb2139@columbia.edu).

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