Home › Research › Disparities
Epigenomics in Understanding Racial Disparities of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
Kumudu Subasinghe, Harlan Jones, Robert C. Barber, Nicole Phillips. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2026-01-11
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) are neurodegenerative conditions that cause gradual deterioration of cognition, memory and language in the elderly. AD has been declared as a health priority by the World Health Organization (WHO) considering its severity and unavailability of a permanent cure. Although the global AD/ADRD population is made up of many ethno-racial groups, the majority of AD studies have focused on the Caucasian population. The few AD studies conducted on minority populations in the US have found that significant AD health disparities exist, demonstrating that African Americans and Hispanics have a significantly higher prevalence of AD and related dementias, with their risk often approaching twice that of White individuals. For the past few years, epigenomic research has played an important role in understanding health disparities among diverse racial and ethnic groups. Unlike genetic studies, which focus on the DNA sequence that one is born with, epigenomics investigates how changes in gene expression due to extrinsic environmental exposures may impact disease pathophysiology. Recent epigenomic studies appear to be promising in not only understanding disease pathology but also in developing diagnostic and therapeutic tools for AD with population specificity. However, there is only a handful of studies and review articles available addressing the epigenomic applications in irradicating racial disparities in AD/ADRD. Therefore, the aim of this review is to discuss the recent findings of epigenomic studies in AD and related dementias, their contribution in irradicating racioethnic disparities and insights into the future direction of their application in precision medicine.
Key findings
- The few AD studies conducted on minority populations in the US have found that significant AD health disparities exist, demonstrating that African Americans and Hispanics have a significantly higher prevalence of AD and related dementias, with their risk often approaching twice that of White individuals.
Why it matters
This paper notes that African American and Hispanic populations have a higher prevalence of Alzheimer's and related dementias, with risk approaching twice that of White individuals, and that epigenomic research may help explain these disparities. It is a review of the field and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Disparities →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 38/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (International Journal of Molecular Sciences) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | International Journal of Molecular Sciences: journal h-index 426 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 2 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Nicole Phillips: h-index 18 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | University of North Texas: institution h-index 431 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41596389) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 38 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.3390/ijms27020739
- PubMed: 41596389
- Original source →
- Free full text: International Journal of Molecular Sciences →
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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Subasinghe, K., Jones, H., Barber, R. C., & Phillips, N. (2026). Epigenomics in Understanding Racial Disparities of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27020739
Vancouver
Subasinghe K, Jones H, Barber RC, Phillips N. Epigenomics in Understanding Racial Disparities of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2026. doi:10.3390/ijms27020739. PMID: 41596389.
BibTeX
@article{subasinghe2026-41596389,
author = {Subasinghe, Kumudu and Jones, Harlan and Barber, Robert C. and Phillips, Nicole},
title = {{Epigenomics in Understanding Racial Disparities of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias}},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.3390/ijms27020739},
pmid = {41596389},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27020739}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Related studies in Disparities
Also in Disparities
98 studies in the library are filed under Disparities with no topic tag they share with another; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed tour of them. The Disparities hub.