Alzheimers Disease Patient Registry (Administrative Supplement)

Project Summary This administrative supplement request is to augment the work of the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA) by adding a new African American cohort in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN. The MCSA is a population-based study of cognition and aging in Olmsted County, Minnesota. It was established in 2004, seen over 6,000 persons, keeps an active cohort of about 3,000 individuals and generated over 200 publications pertaining to aging, cognition, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While the MCSA has been successful in pursuing its Aims, the generalizability of the MCSA findings to more racially and ethnically diverse populations has been limited, as 82.5% of Olmsted County is White. The Specific Aims 1 and 2 of the MCSA current grant cycle are evaluating the 2018 NIA-AA Research Framework for AD. Specific Aim 3 is assessing the role of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) in the population using broad spectrum advanced MRI measures, and Specific Aim 4 is measuring the utility of plasma biomarkers for AD and neurodegeneration in the general population. We have been working with colleagues at the Berman Center of the Hennepin Healthcare Research and through a philanthropic grant from the Mayo Clinic, the Berman Center and its Community Engagement partners have initiated the infrastructure development for the recruitment of a cohort of African American individuals. The proposed study will be a longitudinal observational study modeled after the MCSA to measure cognition, physical function and general health, with a particular emphasis on cardiovascular health. Previous US epidemiological studies elsewhere have reported that African Americans have a higher rate of dementia than Whites. These differences in AD and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (ADRD) risk between older Black and White populations in the US could be explained by disparities in socioeconomic factors, life experiences and chronic conditions across the life-course - especially diabetes and cardiovascular/ cerebrovascular disease - which are associated with higher dementia risk, and more prevalent in African Americans. Our proposed pilot study will recruit 85 African American individuals ages 55 to 90 from the Twin Cities to receive clinical evaluations, extensive health histories, provide blood samples and participate in MRI studies using MCSA protocols. Plasma samples will be evaluated at the Mayo Clinic for AD biomarkers and other inflammatory risk factors. We anticipate the development of this pilot cohort will provide valuable experience for developing a larger African American cohort in the Twin Cities. By combining the expertise of the MCSA team and the Berman Center in Minneapolis, this is a tremendous opportunity to advance knowledge of brain health in the urban African American Twin Cities community.