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Dried Blood Spot Collection of Health Biomarkers to Maximize Participation in Population Studies
Published on: January 28, 2014
Biomarkers
Lubnaa B Abdullah1, Zhengyang Zhou1, Mohammad Housini1,2
1University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
Background:
Individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) have been underrepresented in Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker research, particularly those without Down syndrome (DS). This study examines the association between plasma AD biomarkers-phosphorylated tau 181 (p-tau 181), total tau (T-tau), and neurofilament light (NfL)-and cognitive outcomes based on premorbid intellectual ability (pIQ).
Method:
Participants were drawn from the Health & Aging Brain Study - Health Disparities (HABS-HD), categorized by low (z ≤ -2.00) or average (z = 0.00 ± 1.00) pIQ based on word reading scores. Statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate whether biomarkers associated with cognitive domains of episodic memory, executive functioning, processing speed, and language by pIQ and ethnicity.
Result:
Among those with low pIQ, elevated plasma p-tau 181 was associated with worse episodic memory. In stratified analyses, NfL, p-tau 181, and t-tau were associated with worse cognitive executive functioning among non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) and Hispanics with low pIQ. All three biomarkers were associated with low pIQ and processing speed, with significant interactions based on ethnicity. Language was only associated with AD biomarkers for NHW's with low pIQ.
Conclusion:
These results highlight the importance of considering both premorbid IQ and ethnic background when examining the relationship between cognitive changes and AD biomarkers.
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