Change in Cognitive Function in Alzheimer’s Disease in African-American and White Persons

Vol. 26, No. 1, 2006

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Original Paper

Change in Cognitive Function in Alzheimer's Disease in African-American and White Persons
Lisa L. Barnes^{a, c, e}, Robert S. Wilson^{a, c, e}, Yan Li^{b, d}, David W. Gilley^{b, d, e}, David A. Bennett^{a, c}, Denis A. Evans^b-d

^aRush Alzheimer's Disease Center,
^bRush Institute for Healthy Aging, and Departments of
^cNeurological Sciences,
^dInternal Medicine and
^eBehavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Ill., USA

Address of Corresponding Author

Neuroepidemiology 2006;26:16-22 (DOI: 10.1159/000089231)

Key Words

Alzheimer's disease
Race
Cognitive decline

Abstract

Few studies have examined the association of race with change in cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We studied the rate of decline in global and specific measures of cognitive function in a cohort of 410 older African-Americans and whites with clinically diagnosed AD. Persons were examined annually for an average of 3.5 years, and follow-up participation among survivors exceeded 90%. In mixed-effects models that controlled for age, gender, education, and premorbid reading activity, African-Americans scored lower than whites at baseline on a composite measure of global cognition and on specific measures of visuoconstruction and naming. However, they experienced less rapid decline in episodic memory (p < 0.01), with similar but not quite significant effects for global cognition (p = 0.06), perceptual speed (p = 0.07) and naming (p = 0.08). The results suggest that the rate of cognitive decline in AD is slower in African-Americans compared with whites, particularly for episodic memory.

Author Contacts

Lisa L. Barnes, PhD
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center
Armour Academic Facility, 600 S. Paulina, Suite 1038
Chicago, IL 60612 (USA)
Tel. +1 312 942 2248, Fax +1 312 942 2297, E-Mail lbarnes1@rush.edu

Article Information

Published online: October 25, 2005
Number of Print Pages : 7
Number of Figures : 1, Number of Tables : 3, Number of References : 43

Medline Abstract (ID 16254449)

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