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The Interaction Between Race/Ethnicity and Traumatic Brain Injury on Alzheimer’s Disease Risk in Late Life
by Matthew Wren Thomson
Faculty Advisor: Alexandra Clark, PhD
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has been identified as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in late life. Research has shown that older adults with a history of TBI display more severe AD biomarkers and neurodegeneration patterns relative to those without a history of TBI. Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and Hispanic/Latino (H/L) older adults are at increased risk of developing AD and are also more likely to experience worse health outcomes after experiencing TBI. However, research exploring whether TBI history is a fundamental factor underlying this increased risk for AD among racially/ethnically diverse older adults has not yet been completed. It has been well established that NHB and H/L community members face many challenges and disadvantages in their access to healthcare and treatment, and these ethnoracial groups are more likely to be exposed to poorly resourced environments and stressors that negatively impact long-term health outcomes. This study utilized data from the Health and Aging Brain Study — Health Disparities (HABS-HD) to investigate whether the association between TBI history and AD risk (assessed via AD plasma biomarker levels and cognitive z-score composites) differ across race/ethnicity. Results revealed that NHB older adults with a TBI history exhibited significantly higher AD risk (worse plasma amyloid-β 42/40 levels) than their NHW and H/L counterparts. No differential associations between TBI history and AD risk between NHW and HL adults were observed. These findings indicated that NHB older adults who have experienced a TBI experience elevated AD risk and may benefit from targeted interventions centered on reducing amyloid levels in an effort to prevent disease progression.