Abstract
BACKGROUND: Despite the tremendous amount of research on Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers, very little data is available regarding the fundamental biomarkers of AD among Mexican Americans. OBJECTIVE: Here we sought to examine the link between metabolic markers and brain amyloid among Mexican Americans as compared to non-Hispanic whites from the Health & Aging Brain Study -Health Disparities (HABS-HD) cohort. METHODS: PET amyloid (florbetaben) data was analyzed from 34 Mexican American and 22 non-Hispanic white participants. RESULTS: Glucagon (t = 3.84, p < 0.001) and insulin (t = -2.56, p = 0.02) were both significantly related to global SUVR levels among Mexican Americans. Glucagon and insulin were both related to most ROIs. No metabolic markers were significantly related to brain amyloid levels among non-Hispanic whites. CONCLUSION: Metabolic markers are related to brain amyloid burden among Mexican Americans. Given the increased risk for diabetes, additional research is needed to determine the impact of diabetes on core AD biomarkers among this underserved population.