Brain Changes Differ by Race With Alzheimer's Disease: Study
Brain Changes Differ by Race With Alzheimer's Disease: Study
Blacks more likely to have additional dementia-related changes in their brains, researchers say
WEDNESDAY, July 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Alzheimer's disease seems to develop differently in the brains of black patients than in whites. And, black people seem more likely to suffer different types of brain changes that also contribute to dementia, a new study reports.
Alzheimer's disease dementia is generally associated with a build-up of substances known as plaques and tangles inside the brain. But, there are other brain changes that can also contribute to dementia, the study authors noted.
For example, the brains of people with dementia sometimes contain infarcts -- tiny areas of dead tissue caused by micro-strokes, the researchers explained. They also might contain Lewy bodies -- another form of abnormal protein build-up in the brain that's usually associated with Parkinson's disease.
Autopsies of black and white Alzheimer's patients revealed that blacks were more likely than whites to experience a mix of dementia-related changes, as opposed to the damage usually associated with "pure" Alzheimer's dementia, according to the study.
"We were surprised that the African Americans were much more likely to have a mixed picture," said lead author Lisa Barnes, a professor of neurology and behavioral science at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "The underlying brain changes were different, which indicates that they probably had different risk factors."
The study findings were published online July 15 in advance of print publication in the journal Neurology.
Dementia isn't a specific disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Instead, dementia refers to a wide range of symptoms, such as memory loss and communication problems, that are significant enough to interfere with daily life, the association explains.
The study found that among 81 white patients who died, 42 percent only displayed signs of typical Alzheimer's disease. About 51 percent of them had a mix of brain changes that included infarcts and Lewy bodies, the researchers said.
But among 41 black patients who died, about 20 percent displayed only the usual Alzheimer's plaques and tangles. Almost all the rest -- more than 70 percent -- experienced infarcts and Lewy bodies on top of the usual Alzheimer's brain changes.
Brain Changes May Differ by Race With Alzheimer's
Blacks more likely to have additional dementia-related changes in their brains, researchers say
WEDNESDAY, July 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Alzheimer's disease seems to develop differently in the brains of black patients than in whites. And, black people seem more likely to suffer different types of brain changes that also contribute to dementia, a new study reports.
Alzheimer's disease dementia is generally associated with a build-up of substances known as plaques and tangles inside the brain. But, there are other brain changes that can also contribute to dementia, the study authors noted.
For example, the brains of people with dementia sometimes contain infarcts -- tiny areas of dead tissue caused by micro-strokes, the researchers explained. They also might contain Lewy bodies -- another form of abnormal protein build-up in the brain that's usually associated with Parkinson's disease.
Autopsies of black and white Alzheimer's patients revealed that blacks were more likely than whites to experience a mix of dementia-related changes, as opposed to the damage usually associated with "pure" Alzheimer's dementia, according to the study.
"We were surprised that the African Americans were much more likely to have a mixed picture," said lead author Lisa Barnes, a professor of neurology and behavioral science at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "The underlying brain changes were different, which indicates that they probably had different risk factors."
The study findings were published online July 15 in advance of print publication in the journal Neurology.
Dementia isn't a specific disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Instead, dementia refers to a wide range of symptoms, such as memory loss and communication problems, that are significant enough to interfere with daily life, the association explains.
The study found that among 81 white patients who died, 42 percent only displayed signs of typical Alzheimer's disease. About 51 percent of them had a mix of brain changes that included infarcts and Lewy bodies, the researchers said.
But among 41 black patients who died, about 20 percent displayed only the usual Alzheimer's plaques and tangles. Almost all the rest -- more than 70 percent -- experienced infarcts and Lewy bodies on top of the usual Alzheimer's brain changes.