UCSF

Introduction

An analysis of the ethnocultural and socioeconomic composition of Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) participants is needed to assess the generalizability of ADNI data to diverse populations.

Methods

ADNI data collected between October 2004 and November 2020 were used to determine ethnocultural and educational composition of the sample and differences in the following metrics: screening, screen fails, enrollment, biomarkers.

Results

Of 3739 screened individuals, 11% identified as being from ethnoculturally underrepresented populations (e.g., Black, Latinx) and 16% had <12 years of education. Of 2286 enrolled participants, 11% identified as ethnoculturally underrepresented individuals and 15% had <12 years of education. This participation is considerably lower than US Census data for adults 60+ (ethnoculturally underrepresented populations: 25%; <12 years of education: 4%). Individuals with <12 years of education failed screening at a higher rate.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that ADNI results may not be entirely generalizable to ethnoculturally diverse and low education populations.