Home › Research › Disparities
The ARIC-PET amyloid imaging study: Brain amyloid differences by age, race, sex, and APOE
Gottesman RF, Schneider AL, Zhou Y, Chen X, Green E, Gupta N, Knopman DS, Mintz A et al.. Neurology, 2016-07-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objective To evaluate differences in amyloid deposition in a community-based cohort without dementia by age, sex, race, education, and APOE ε4 allele status. Methods Recruited from the longitudinal Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, 329 participants without dementia, ages 67-88 years, were imaged using florbetapir PET at 3 US community sites (Washington County, Maryland; Forsyth County, North Carolina; and Jackson, Mississippi). Standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) were calculated; global cortical SUVR >1.2 was evaluated as the primary outcome. Age, race, sex, education level, and number of APOE ε4 alleles were evaluated in multivariable models including vascular risk factors, brain white matter hyperintensity and total intracranial volume, and cognitive status. Results A total of 141 of the participants (43%) were black. In multivariable models, odds of elevated SUVR was increased in participants with increasing age (odds ratio [OR] 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-2.65 per 10 years of age) and black race (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.23-3.51) but did not differ by educational level. Each ε4 allele was associated with increased odds of elevated SUVR (OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.61-4.39). Conclusions In this community-based cohort without dementia, florbetapir uptake is associated with older age and APOE genotype. Black race was associated with higher SUVR, after adjusting for demographics, vascular risk factors, cognitive status, white matter hyperintensity volume, and APOE genotype, with effect sizes nearing those seen for APOE ε4. Replication of these findings is needed in other cohorts, and reasons for and consequences of these observed differences by race warrant further study.
Key findings
- Results A total of 141 of the participants (43%) were black.
- Each ε4 allele was associated with increased odds of elevated SUVR (OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.61-4.39).
- Conclusions In this community-based cohort without dementia, florbetapir uptake is associated with older age and APOE genotype.
- Black race was associated with higher SUVR, after adjusting for demographics, vascular risk factors, cognitive status, white matter hyperintensity volume, and APOE genotype, with effect sizes nearing those seen for APOE ε4.
- Replication of these findings is needed in other cohorts, and reasons for and consequences of these observed differences by race warrant further study.
Why it matters
This study found that in a community-based cohort without dementia, elevated brain amyloid was associated with older age and APOE ε4 genotype. It also found that black race was associated with higher amyloid uptake, after adjusting for demographics, vascular risk factors, cognitive status, white matter hyperintensity volume, and APOE genotype.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Disparities →
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants329
- Effect sizeOR 2.08; OR 2.65
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 69/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same 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 (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same 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 | 1 / 5 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 329 participants |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 173 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 14.4 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| 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 28 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 51 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Thomas H. Mosley: h-index 94 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 27371485) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 69 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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
Gottesman, R. F., Schneider, A. L., Zhou, Y., Chen, X., Green, E., Gupta, N., et al. (2016). The ARIC-PET amyloid imaging study: Brain amyloid differences by age, race, sex, and APOE. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000002914
Vancouver
Gottesman RF, Schneider AL, Zhou Y, Chen X, Green E, Gupta N, et al. The ARIC-PET amyloid imaging study: Brain amyloid differences by age, race, sex, and APOE. Neurology. 2016. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000002914. PMID: 27371485.
BibTeX
@article{gottesman2016-27371485,
author = {Gottesman, R. F. and Schneider, A. L. and Zhou, Y. and Chen, X. and Green, E. and Gupta, N. and Knopman, D. S. and Mintz, A. and others},
title = {{The ARIC-PET amyloid imaging study: Brain amyloid differences by age, race, sex, and APOE}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000002914},
pmid = {27371485},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000002914}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 15.
Later studies that cite this one
28 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Disparities
Also tagged “classification”
835 studies in the library carry the topic tag “classification”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 835 tagged studies.