Ethnicity Moderates Dementia's Biomarkers

Abstract

We have employed structural equation models to explicitly distinguish functional status, and therefore “dementia-relevant” variance in cognitive task performance (i.e., “δ”). We previously associated δ with cytokines and other serum biomarkers in a well characterized Alzheimer's disease cohort, the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium. However, that δ homolog did not exhibit factor equivalence across ethnicity. In this study, we construct a δ homolog that exhibits mean and factor equivalence across ethnicity [i.e., “d(=)”]. d(=) is associated significantly with ten of the twelve previously selected biomarkers. Most of these associations are again specific to Non-Hispanic White participants. These findings have yet to be validated in other cohorts, but may suggest cross-ethnic differences in dementia's pathobiological mechanisms between Hispanic Mexican-Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites.