Characterization of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia among Community-Dwelling Mexican Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites

Background: Despite tremendous advancements in the field, our understanding of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) among Mexican Americans remains limited. Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize MCI and dementia among Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites. Methods: Baseline data were analyzed from n=1,705 (n=890 Mexican American; n=815 non-Hispanic white) participants enrolled in the Health and Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities (HABS-HD). Results: Among Mexican Americans, age (OR=1.07), depression (OR=1.09), and MRI-based neurodegeneration (OR=0.01) were associated with dementia, but none of these factors were associated with MCI. Among non-Hispanic whites, male gender (OR=0.33), neighborhood deprivation (OR=1.34), depression (OR=1.09), and MRI-based neurodegeneration (OR=0.03) were associated with MCI, while depression (OR=1.09) and APOE ϵ4 genotype (OR=4.38) were associated with dementia. Conclusion: Findings from this study revealed that the demographic, clinical, sociocultural and biomarker characteristics of MCI and dementia are different among Mexican Americans as compared to non-Hispanic whites.