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Brain Aging Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Turney IC, Lao PJ, Rentería MA, Igwe KC, Berroa J, Rivera A, Benavides A, Morales CD et al.. JAMA neurology, 2023-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Importance Neuroimaging studies have documented racial and ethnic disparities in brain health in old age. It remains unclear whether these disparities are apparent in midlife. Objective To assess racial and ethnic disparities in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of cerebrovascular disease and neurodegeneration in midlife and late life. Design, setting, and participants Data from 2 community-based cohort studies, Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP) and the Offspring Study of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer Disease (Offspring), were used. Enrollment took place from March 2011 and June 2017, in WHICAP and Offspring, respectively, to January 2021. Of the 822 Offspring and 1254 WHICAP participants approached for MRI scanning, 285 and 176 refused participation in MRI scanning, 36 and 76 were excluded for contraindications/ineligibility, and 4 and 32 were excluded for missing key variables, respectively. Main outcomes and measures Cortical thickness in Alzheimer disease-related regions, white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume. Results The final sample included 1467 participants. Offspring participants (497 [33.9%]) had a mean (SD) age of 55 (10.7) years, had a mean (SD) of 13 (3.5) years of education, and included 117 Black individuals (23.5%), 348 Latinx individuals (70%), 32 White individuals (6.4%), and 324 women (65.2%). WHICAP participants (970 [66.1%]) had a mean (SD) age of 75 (6.5) years, had a mean (SD) of 12 (4.7) years of education, and included 338 Black individuals (34.8%), 389 Latinx individuals (40.1%), 243 White individuals (25.1%), and 589 women (65.2%). Racial and ethnic disparities in cerebrovascular disease were observed in both midlife (Black-White: B = 0.357; 95% CI, 0.708-0.007; P = .046) and late life (Black-Latinx: B = 0.149, 95% CI, 0.068-0.231; P Conclusions and relevance In this study, racial and ethnic disparities in small vessel cerebrovascular disease were apparent in midlife. In Latinx and White adults, brain aging was more pronounced in late life than midlife, whereas Black adults showed accelerated pattern of brain aging beginning in midlife.
Key findings
- Results The final sample included 1467 participants.
Why it matters
This study examined MRI markers of cerebrovascular disease and neurodegeneration in racially and ethnically diverse middle-aged and older adults. It is about documenting disparities in brain health, not about treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants1,467
- Effect size33.9%; 23.5%; 6.4%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 65/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (JAMA neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | JAMA Neurology: journal h-index 235 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2023 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,467 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 81 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 16.2 citations a year over 5 year(s) since 2023 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 10.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 68 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Adam M. Brickman: h-index 87 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Columbia University: institution h-index 1,824 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 36374494) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 65 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.3919
- PubMed: 36374494
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Turney, I. C., Lao, P. J., Rentería, M. A., Igwe, K. C., Berroa, J., Rivera, A., et al. (2023). Brain Aging Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Middle-Aged and Older Adults. JAMA neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.3919
Vancouver
Turney IC, Lao PJ, Rentería MA, Igwe KC, Berroa J, Rivera A, et al. Brain Aging Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Middle-Aged and Older Adults. JAMA neurology. 2023. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.3919. PMID: 36374494.
BibTeX
@article{turney2023-36374494,
author = {Turney, I. C. and Lao, P. J. and Rentería, M. A. and Igwe, K. C. and Berroa, J. and Rivera, A. and Benavides, A. and Morales, C. D. and others},
title = {{Brain Aging Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Middle-Aged and Older Adults}},
journal = {JAMA neurology},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.3919},
pmid = {36374494},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.3919}
}
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