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Brain morphology in older African Americans, Caribbean Hispanics, and whites from northern Manhattan
Brickman AM, Schupf N, Manly JJ, Luchsinger JA, Andrews H, Tang MX, Reitz C, Small SA et al.. Archives of neurology, 2008-08-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Aging is accompanied by a decrease in brain volume and by an increase in cerebrovascular disease. Objective To examine the effects of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and vascular disease history on measures of brain morphology, including relative brain volume, ventricular volume, hippocampus and entorhinal cortex volumes, and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden, in a large community-based cohort of racially/ethnically diverse older adults without dementia. Design The associations of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and self-reported vascular disease history with brain morphology were examined in a cross-sectional study using multiple linear regression analyses. Sex x race/ethnicity interactions were also considered. Setting The Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project, a community-based epidemiological study of older adults from 3 racial/ethnic groups (white, Hispanic, and African American) from northern Manhattan. Participants Beginning in 2003, high-resolution quantitative magnetic resonance (MR) images were acquired in 769 participants without dementia. Main outcome measures Relative brain volume (total brain volume/intracranial volume), ventricular volume, and hippocampus and entorhinal cortex volumes were derived manually on high-resolution MR images. White matter hyperintensities were quantified semiautomatically on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery-T2-weighted MR images. Results Older age was associated with decreased relative brain volume and with increased ventricular and WMH volumes. Hispanic and African American participants had larger relative brain volumes and more severe WMH burden than white participants, but the associations of these variables with age were similar across racial/ethnic groups. Compared with men, women had larger relative brain volumes. Vascular disease was associated with smaller relative brain volume and with higher WMH burden, particularly among African Americans. Conclusions Older age and vascular disease, particularly among African Americans, are associated with increased brain atrophy and WMH burden. African American and Hispanic subjects have larger relative brain volumes and more WMH than white subjects. Racial/ethnic group differences in WMH severity seem to be partially attributable to differences in vascular disease. Future work will focus on the determinants and cognitive correlates of these differences.
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APA 7th
Brickman, A. M., Schupf, N., Manly, J. J., Luchsinger, J. A., Andrews, H., Tang, M. X., et al. (2008). Brain morphology in older African Americans, Caribbean Hispanics, and whites from northern Manhattan. Archives of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.65.8.1053
Vancouver
Brickman AM, Schupf N, Manly JJ, Luchsinger JA, Andrews H, Tang MX, et al. Brain morphology in older African Americans, Caribbean Hispanics, and whites from northern Manhattan. Archives of neurology. 2008. doi:10.1001/archneur.65.8.1053. PMID: 18695055.
BibTeX
@article{brickman2008-18695055,
author = {Brickman, A. M. and Schupf, N. and Manly, J. J. and Luchsinger, J. A. and Andrews, H. and Tang, M. X. and Reitz, C. and Small, S. A. and others},
title = {{Brain morphology in older African Americans, Caribbean Hispanics, and whites from northern Manhattan}},
journal = {Archives of neurology},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1001/archneur.65.8.1053},
pmid = {18695055},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.65.8.1053}
}
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Key findings
- Results Older age was associated with decreased relative brain volume and with increased ventricular and WMH volumes.
- Compared with men, women had larger relative brain volumes.
- Vascular disease was associated with smaller relative brain volume and with higher WMH burden, particularly among African Americans.
- Conclusions Older age and vascular disease, particularly among African Americans, are associated with increased brain atrophy and WMH burden.
Why it matters
In 769 dementia-free older adults from northern Manhattan, MRI showed that older age and a self-reported history of vascular disease went with smaller brains and more white matter damage (WMH), and the vascular link was strongest among African Americans. African American and Hispanic participants had larger relative brain volumes but more WMH than white participants, and the authors say the WMH gap "seem[s] to be partially attributable to differences in vascular disease." This is a one-time snapshot that shows associations, not causes, and it did not measure memory or test any treatment.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants769
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 57/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Archives of Neurology: journal h-index 353 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in 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 | 1 / 5 | 2008 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 769 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 269 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.4 citations a year over 20 year(s) since 2008 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 26 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 41 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Truman R. Brown: h-index 66 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Columbia University: institution h-index 1,824 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter 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 18695055) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 57 / 100 | — |
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