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Associations between Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Neurofilament Light Levels Among U.S. Mexican American Adults
Medrxiv : the Preprint Server for Health Sciences
|March 31, 2025
Summary
Neurofilament light (NfL) levels, a marker of neuronal injury, show differing associations with cardiovascular disease and brain changes in Mexican American (MA) adults compared to non-Latino White (NLW) adults, suggesting potential for targeted brain health strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Cardiovascular Medicine
Background:
- Mechanisms impacting brain health and cognitive aging in Latino vs. non-Latino White (NLW) adults are not fully understood.
- Neurofilament light (NfL), a neuronal injury biomarker, is linked to cardiovascular risk factors in diverse populations.
- This study investigates ethnic differences in NfL associations with cardiovascular health markers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine if associations between plasma NfL levels and cardiovascular health markers differ between U.S. Mexican American (MA) and NLW adults.
- To explore NfL's role as a potential biomarker for neurodegeneration and cardiovascular disease (CVD) disparities.
- To inform targeted neurodegenerative prevention strategies for diverse aging populations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 1317 participants (648 MA, 669 NLW) from the Health and Aging Brain Study: Health Disparities (HABS-HD).
- Inclusion of phenotypic, neuroimaging, and plasma NfL data.
- Assessment of cardiovascular health factors: white matter hyperintensities (WMH) volume, hypertension, diabetes, and CVD diagnoses.
Main Results:
- NfL levels differed between MA and NLW participants based on diabetes and CVD diagnoses, with more pronounced differences in the MA group.
- The association between white matter hyperintensities (WMH) volume and NfL varied significantly between MA and NLW groups, being steeper in the MA group.
- These findings indicate differential impacts of cardiovascular risk on neurodegeneration biomarkers across ethnic groups.
Conclusions:
- Plasma NfL shows potential as a prognostic biomarker for CVD and neurodegeneration, especially in Mexican American adults.
- Further research is necessary to elucidate the mechanisms driving these ethnic disparities in brain aging.
- Findings support the development of tailored neurodegenerative prevention strategies to address health inequities.
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