Study Dives Into Genetic Risk of Alzheimer's and Dementia for Diverse Latinx Groups

Medical Xpress reports that a study published in Alzheimer's and Dementia probed the genetic risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias among six diverse Latinx populations: Cubans, Central Americans, Dominicans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and South Americans. The researchers associated the APOE-e4 genetic variant with risk of cognitive decline in these groups, especially among those of Cuban backgrounds. "Our findings highlight how important it is to look beyond European ancestry and European genetic risk factors to understand in what ways genetics may or may not contribute to their risk," explained Einat Granot-Hershkovitz at Brigham and Women's Hospital. The Latinx subgroups differ based on what concentration of genes are rooted in African, European, and Amerindian ancestries. In looking at whether the impact of APOE-e4 is augmented by genetic ancestry proportions, the researchers noted that increased proportion of genetic Amerindian ancestry guards against the risk of APOE-e4-associated cognitive decline. "We think proportion of ancestry is a crude measure of genetics, but there are probably specific genetic factors that may be specific to Amerindian ancestry that drive this difference in the effect of APOE," suggested Brigham's Tamar Sofer.