Design and feasibility of an Alzheimer's disease blood test study in a diverse community-based population

Alzheimer's disease (AD) blood tests are likely to become increasingly important in clinical practice, but they need to be evaluated in diverse groups before use in the general population.

This study enrolled a community-based sample of older adults in the St. Louis, Missouri, USA area. Participants completed a blood draw, Eight-Item Informant Interview to Differentiate Aging and Dementia (AD8^® ), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and survey about their perceptions of the blood test. A subset of participants completed additional blood collection, amyloid positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR^® ).

Of the 859 participants enrolled in this ongoing study, 20.6% self-identified as Black or African American. The AD8 and MoCA correlated moderately with the CDR. The blood test was well accepted by the cohort, but it was perceived more positively by White and highly educated individuals.

Studying an AD blood test in a diverse population is feasible and may accelerate accurate diagnosis and implementation of effective treatments.

A diverse group of older adults was recruited to evaluate a blood amyloid test. The enrollment rate was high and the blood test was well accepted by participants. Cognitive impairment screens have moderate performance in a diverse population. Alzheimer's disease blood tests are likely to be feasible for use in real-world settings.