3 - Risk and Protective Factors of Cognitive Aging in Older African Americans

Older African Americans, a rapidly growing segment of the US population, bear a disproportionate burden of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive impairment compared to non-Hispanic Whites, with some estimates suggesting that they may have more than a two-fold increased risk than their white counterparts. Recent studies have led to significant advances in our understanding of the underlying neurobiologic substrates and risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease. But because of challenges in recruitment of African Americans into research studies and a lack of clinical and biologic data in this population, knowledge of the drivers of the disparities has lagged behind. The ability to identify therapeutic targets and effective interventions for this population has become a public health imperative. This lecture will present data from longitudinal cohort studies conducted at Rush of older African Americans regarding how risk factors and protective markers influence cognitive aging.