Patricia Garcia
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, USA
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Clin Exp Psychol
Statement of the Problem: The
most promising biomarkers to
date for Alzheimer’s disease
(AD) detection include Positron
Emission Tomography of
metabolic brain changes or
cortical b-amyloid deposition,
structural Magnetic Resonance
Imaging for brain atrophy,
and cerebrospinal fluid
biomarkers. Volumetric changes
in the entorhinal cortex and
hippocampus have been
noted in patients with AD and
patients with mild cognitive
impairment. However, the effects
of the amyloid load on cognitive
performance are less understood.
Further studies looking at
cultural variables in the context
of AD are imperative given the
current and projected growth
of ethnic minorities in the US.
The purpose of this study was to
explore the relationship between
AD biomarkers (regional brain
atrophy and amyloid aggregation)
with cognitive performance
among Hispanic and white non-
Hispanic older adults.
Methodology: Cross-sectional
analyses were conducted among
clinical samples, totaling 182
participants. Subgroups were
created based on participantsâ??
cognitive diagnosis and
ethnicity. Pearson correlations
between AD biomarkers and
neuropsychological tests were
initially performed. A stepwise
multiple regression analysis was
used to develop a model for
predicting the effects of medial
temporal atrophy (MTA) and
amyloid deposition on several
cognitive tasks.
Findings: A positive correlation
was noted between the right
parahippocampal area and HVLT
Immediate (β=0.494, p=0.005)
in healthy Hispanics. Among
Hispanics with dementia, a
negative correlation between
amyloid and HVLT delayed
recall was found (β=-0.585,
p=0.005). Regression analyses
revealed that among healthy
Hispanics, a significant predictive
relationship was noted between
HVLT Immediate and rightparahippocampus,
R2=0.244,
F(1,15)=4.837, p=<0.005.
Among Hispanics with dementia,
amyloid deposition significantly
predicted performance on the
HVLT delayed, R2=0.342, F(1,10)=
5.190, p=<0.005.
Conclusion & Significance:
The small variance accounted
by these biomarkers invites
researchers and clinicians to
identify other contributing factors
to neurocognitive performance.
Future studies should examine
individual cultural factors
contributing to these findings
among clinical samples.
Patricia Garcia is a second-year neuropsychology fellow. She completed her first year of residency at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and worked in the outpatient neuropsychology clinic where she did neuropsychological evaluations of adults and geriatric patients, particularly assisting in the diagnosis of dementia at the outpatient neuropsychology center and at the memory disorder’s clinic in the neurology department. She is now at Ryder Trauma Center located in Jackson Memorial Hospital, working primarily in the neurorehabilitation inpatient unit where she has the opportunity to assess and treat patients with traumatic brain injuries, cerebrovascular accidents, brain tumors, epilepsy, brain infections, among other neurological conditions, and communicate findings to an interdisciplinary team of professionals. She also provides consultative services at the neurosurgery ICU, trauma ICU, and the outpatient neuropsychology clinics. Her research interests include cross-cultural neuropsychology, AD biomarkers, psychiatric symptoms, and cultural variables in the assessment of dementia.
E-mail: patricia.garcia@jhsmiami.org
