Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — African Americans have significantly higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and will continue to live with this reality unless new prevention strategies are discovered. A study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) may help provide some answers. This two-year, $24 million study – the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Grand Opportunity (ADNI GO) – focuses for the first time on people experiencing the very earliest complaints of memory problems that affect their daily activities. ADNI GO expands on the groundbreaking Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and will continue efforts to identify biomarkers that can help build a greater understanding of the progression of AD.
According to the 2010 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report, African Americans are about two times as likely as their white counterparts to develop Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Although there appears to be no known genetic reason for these differences, complicating health conditions that disproportionately affect African Americans, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, can increase the risk of developing AD. The ADNI GO study is looking to involve people from the black community to ensure that the research will benefit all races and ethnicities.
