Studies in Black or African Americans and Hispanic or Latino Americans

Drs. Graff-Radford and Day's research team have several projects that evaluate the factors that contribute to a higher-than-expected dementia risk in Black or African Americans and Hispanic or Latino Americans. Understanding these differences could lead to population-specific interventions.

The Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Mayo Clinic provides free dementia evaluations for Black or African Americans and Hispanic or Latino Americans. John A. Lucas, Ph.D., led an initiative to set the norms for many standard neuropsychology tests, published in Mayo Older African American Normative Studies (MOAANS). These standards have prevented the overdiagnosis of dementia. Similar efforts are ongoing within our Hispanic or Latino communities, led by Christian Lachner, M.D., and Paula A. Aduen, Ph.D., L.P.

We also have published research on the risk of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene in Black or African American research participants, including autopsy findings of Black or African Americans with dementia. Nilufer Ertekin-Taner, M.D., Ph.D., has led the team by publishing other important genetic factors related to African Americans. In addition, John A. Lucas, Ph.D., has worked to create a dementia-friendly community for African Americans.

Related publications

• Lachner C, Craver EC, Babulal GM, Lucas JA, Ferman TJ, White RO, Graff-Radford NR, Day GS. Disparate dementia risk factors are associated with cognitive impairment and rates of decline in African Americans. Annals of Neurology. 2024; doi:10.1002/ana.26847.
• Santos O, Pedraza O, Lucas J, Duara R, Greig-Custo M, Hanna Al-Shaikh F, Liesinger A, Bieniek K, Hinkle K, Lesser E, Crook J, Carrasquillo M, Ross O, Ertekin-Taner N, Graff-Radford N, Dickson D, Murray M. Ethnoracial differences in Alzheimer's disease from the FLorida Autopsied Multi-Ethnic (FLAME) cohort. Alzheimer's & Dementia. 2019; doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2018.12.013.
• Conway O, Carrasquillo M, Wang X, Bredenberg J, Reddy J, Strickland S, Younkin C, Burgess J, Allen M, Lincoln S, Nguyen T, Malphrus K, Soto A, Walton R, Boeve B, Petersen R, Lucas J, Ferman T, Cheshire W, van Gerpen J, Uitti R, Wszolek Z, Ross O, Dickson D, Graff-Radford N, Ertekin-Taner N. ABI3 and PLCG2 missense variants as risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases in Caucasians and African Americans. Molecular Neurodegeneration. 2018; doi:10.1186/s13024-018-0289-x.
• Jun G, Chung J, Mez J, Barber R, Beecham G, Bennett D, Buxbaum J, Byrd G, Carrasquillo M, Crane P, Cruchaga C, De Jager P, Ertekin-Taner N, Evans D, Fallin M, Foroud T, Friedland R, Goate A, Graff-Radford N, Hendrie H, Hall K, Hamilton-Nelson K, Inzelberg R, Kamboh M, Kauwe J, Kukull W, Kunkle B, Kuwano R, Larson E, Logue M, Manly J, Martin E, Montine T, Mukherjee S, Naj A, Reiman E, Reitz C, Sherva R, St George-Hyslop P, Thornton T, Younkin S, Vardarajan B, Wang L, Wendlund J, Winslow A; Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium, Haines J, Mayeux R, Pericak-Vance M, Schellenberg G, Lunetta K, Farrer L. Transethnic genome-wide scan identifies novel Alzheimer's disease loci. Alzheimer's & Dementia. 2017; doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2016.12.012.
• Mez J, Chung J, Jun G, Kriegel J, Bourlas A, Sherva R, Logue M, Barnes L, Bennett D, Buxbaum J, Byrd G, Crane P, Ertekin-Taner N, Evans D, Fallin M, Foroud T, Goate A, Graff-Radford N, Hall K, Kamboh M, Kukull W, Larson E, Manly J; Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium, Haines J, Mayeux R, Pericak-Vance M, Schellenberg G, Lunetta K, Farrer L. Two novel loci, COBL and SLC10A2, for Alzheimer's disease in African Americans. Alzheimer's & Dementia. 2017; doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2016.09.002.
• N'Songo A, Carrasquillo M, Wang X, Burgess J, Nguyen T, Asmann Y, Serie D, Younkin S, Allen M, Pedraza O, Duara R, Greig Custo M, Graff-Radford N, Ertekin-Taner N. African American exome sequencing identifies potential risk variants at Alzheimer disease loci. Neurology Genetics. 2017; doi:10.1212/NXG.0000000000000141.
• N'Songo A, Carrasquillo M, Wang X, Nguyen T, Asmann Y, Younkin S, Allen M, Duara R, Custo M, Graff-Radford N, Ertekin-Taner N. Comprehensive screening for disease risk variants in early-onset Alzheimer's disease genes in African Americans identifies novel PSEN variants. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 2017; doi:10.3233/JAD-161185.