Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Compared to other developed countries, Japan has a higher prevalence of vascular dementia but lower prevalence of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, Japanese elderly have been speculated to have lower brain beta-amyloid (β-amyloid) burden. The aim of this study was to compare the level of brain β-amyloid deposits between Japanese and American elderly with normal cognition. A total of 66 Japanese and 66 American elderly aged 80–89 with normal cognition underwent [C-11]Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) PET imaging. Japanese and American participants were matched on age, sex, APOE4 status, and education. Experienced neuropsychologists at both sites used comparable neuropsychological batteries to assess cognitive status. All PiB PET data was analyzed in Pittsburgh. Global and regional indices of PiB retention were determined using a Freesurfer-based analysis. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for comparisons. Global cognitive function was similar in the 66 Japanese and 66 American older adults (mean age=82, 50% women). Global and most regional β-amyloid burden was slightly lower in Japanese than Americans but did not reach statistical significance (Table 1). Furthermore, when stratified by APOE4 status, we found that, in APOE ε4-negative participants (61 Japanese and 61 Americans, mean age=82, 50% women), Japanese had significantly lower regional β-amyloid burden in the anterior ventral striatum (Table 2: 1.08 vs. 1.16, p-value<0.01), posterior cingulate (1.25 vs. 1.34, p-value=0.02), and precuneus (1.17 vs. 1.28, p-value<0.01) than Americans, although the global β-amyloid burden (1.16 vs. 1.19, p-value=0.4) was similar.
Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2980649853