IC‐P3‐172: Brain morphology in elderly African‐Americans, Caribbean Hispanics, and Caucasians from northern Manhattan

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of age, sex, ethnicity, and vascular disease on measures of brain morphology, including relative brain volume, ventricle volume, hippocampus and entorhinal cortex volume, and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden in a large community-based cohort of non-demented, ethnically diverse older adults. Beginning in 2003, high-resolution quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was acquired on 702 participants without dementia from the Washington Heights-Hamilton Heights Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP), a community-based epidemiological study of elders from three ethnic groups (i.e., Caucasian, Hispanic, African-American) from northern Manhattan. The relations of age, sex, self reported vascular disease history, and ethnicity, with brain morphology was examined cross-sectionally with multiple linear regression analyses. Sex and ethnicity interactions were also considered. Relative brain volume (absolute brain volume/cranial volume),ventricular volume, hippocampus and entorhinal cortex volumes were derived manually on high-resolution MRI scans. White matter hyperintensities were quantified semi-automatically on FLAIR-weighted MRI. Increased age was associated with decreased relative brain volume and increased ventricular and WMH volume. Hispanic and African-American participants had larger relative brain volumes and more severe WMH burden than Caucasians, but the decreases with age were similar across ethnic groups. Compared with men, women had larger relative brain volumes. Vascular disease was associated with smaller relative brain volume and higher WMH burden, particularly among African-Americans. Age and vascular disease, particularly among African-Americans, are associated with increased brain atrophy and WMH burden. African-American and Hispanic participants have larger relative brain volumes and more WMH than Caucasians, which is partially attributable to differences in vascular disease. Future work will focus on the determinants and cognitive correlates of these differences. Supported by NIH/NIA PO1AG07232, NIH/NIA K23AG029949, and Alzheimer's Association NIRG05–14586.