Relationships of Cognitive Measures with Cerebrospinal Fluid but Not Imaging Biomarkers of Alzheimer Disease Vary between Black and White Individuals

ObjectiveBiomarkers of Alzheimer disease vary between groups of self-identified Black and White individuals in some studies. This study examined whether the relationships between biomarkers or between biomarkers and cognitive measures varied by racialized groups.MethodsCerebrospinal fluid (CSF), amyloid positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging measures were harmonized across four studies of memory and aging. Spearman correlations between biomarkers and between biomarkers and cognitive measures were calculated within each racialized group, then compared between groups by standard normal tests after Fisher's Z-transformations.ResultsThe harmonized dataset included at least one biomarker measurement from 495 Black and 2,600 White participants. The mean age was similar between racialized groups. However, Black participants were less likely to have cognitive impairment (28% vs 36%) and had less abnormality of some CSF biomarkers including CSF A beta 42/40, total tau, p-tau181, and neurofilament light. CSF A beta 42/40 was negatively correlated with total tau and p-tau181 in both groups, but at a smaller magnitude in Black individuals. CSF A beta 42/40, total tau, and p-tau181 had weaker correlations with cognitive measures, especially episodic memory, in Black than White participants. Correlations of amyloid measures between CSF (A beta 42/40, A beta 42) and PET imaging were also weaker in Black than White participants. Importantly, no differences based on race were found in correlations between different imaging biomarkers, or in correlations between imaging biomarkers and cognitive measures.InterpretationRelationships between CSF biomarkers but not imaging biomarkers varied by racialized groups. Imaging biomarkers performed more consistently across racialized groups in associations with cognitive measures. ANN NEUROL 2023