Linear regression reveals links between social determinants and brain health markers, suggesting implications for interventions.
INTRODUCTION Relationships between place‐based social determinants of health (SDoH) and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias biomarkers are emerging. METHODS Linear regressions examined associations of area deprivation index (ADI), social vulnerability index (SVI), and environmental justice index (EJI) with biomarkers among Healthy Brain Study participants ( n = 679), stratified by racialized groups. Neuroimaging biomarkers included cortical thickness, brain parenchymal volume, white matter hyperintensity volume, cerebral blood flow (CBF) and its variability in gray matter. Plasma biomarkers included glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), amyloid‐beta ratios, and phosphorylated‐tau 181. RESULTS Place‐based SDoH measures were higher in Black compared to White participants. Among Black participants, we found relationships between higher SVI and EJI with higher CBF variability, higher ADI with lower mean CBF, and higher ADI and SVI with lower cortical thickness. DISCUSSION Place‐based SDoH may partially capture effects of structural racism on brain health and affirm the importance of structural interventions in addressing SDoH.
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Krishnamurthy et al. (2025) studied this question.
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