Race and ethnicity-related differences in neuroimaging markers of neurodegeneration and cerebrovascular disease in middle and older age

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Numerous neuroimaging studies demonstrated racial and ethnic disparities in brain health at older ages. It remains unclear whether racial and ethnic disparities increase with aging and whether they are already apparent in midlife. METHODS We investigated differences in MRI markers of aging and cerebrovascular disease in 969 participants from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP; mean age: 75 years) and 496 participants from the Offspring study (mean age: 55 years) across race and ethnicity (white, Black, Latinx). RESULTS Older whites had greater cortical thickness compared with Latinxs, who also had greater thickness than Blacks. Cortical thickness was similar across race in the middle-aged cohort. Regarding white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, Blacks had disproportionately greater WMH volume compared to both whites and Latinxs at older ages. Racial disparities are already apparent in midlife, where Blacks have disproportionately greater WMH than whites. D iscussion These findings suggest that racial disparities in WMH volume are already apparent in midlife.