Posters
Academic Level (Author 1)
Medical Student
Discipline/Specialty (Author 1)
Neuroscience
Academic Level (Author 2)
Staff
Discipline/Specialty (Author 2)
Neuroscience
Academic Level (Author 4)
Medical Student
Discipline/Specialty (Author 4)
Neuroscience
Academic Level (Author 5)
Faculty
Discipline/Specialty (Author 5)
Neuroscience
Discipline Track
Clinical Science
Abstract
Background: The incidence of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), such as agitation, depression, anxiety, irritability, and sleeping disturbances, is common among patients with dementia. These symptoms are commonly evaluated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), a useful tool for studying changes in behavior associated with neurodegenerative disorders for the past couple of decades. Another database utilizing the NPI-Q to assess NPS is the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) Database. This uniform data set aims to store participant information, including neuropsychological tests, demographic information, and medical health history, collected from Alzheimer’s Disease Centers across the United States. To date, no studies using the NACC database have compared the prevalence of NPS specifically among different Asian subgroups with dementia. In recent decades, Asian Americans have become the fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States. Despite these statistics and increased interest in advancing the health equity agenda for Asian Americans, there remains an inadequate amount of comprehensive studies and NIH funding including this demographic. Even more so, the majority of studies and reports, including the NACC database, combine Asian participants into one group, potentially concealing health disparities within specific subgroups. This lack of attention to the heterogeneity amongst Asian subgroups hinders the accurate development of healthcare policies and programs that address their particular needs. Therefore it is imperative to prioritize research that supports the ever-evolving demographic characteristics in the United States, including the diverse Asian population. The purpose of this study is to perform an exploratory analysis of the neuropsychiatric symptoms and clinical dementia ratings of Asian subgroups from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) database.
Methods: A sorting code was implemented in Microsoft Excel to redefine and recode Asian participants based on the primary language spoken. The data of these novel subgroups, the severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms, and clinical dementia ratings were analyzed through SPSS statistical tests including ANOVA and Ordinal Logistic Regression.
Results: In total, 1266 participants met the criteria of being non-Hispanic and Asian. There were 626 classified as Asian English Speakers, 505 Asian East-Asian Language Speakers, 60 Asian South-Asian Language Speakers, 66 Asian Southeast-Asian Language Speakers, and 9 Asian Other Language Speakers. There were no significant differences in NPS between Asian subgroups. However, there were significant associations of education, sex, Asian subgroup, and neuropsychiatric severity in predicting clinical dementia ratings.
Conclusion: The results of this study were greatly limited by the small number of Asian participants included in the dataset. Future studies should consider increasing diverse participation and possible grouping based on genotype to better research neuropsychiatric symptoms and dementia, and implement individualized treatment.
Presentation Type
Poster
Recommended Citation
Malbas, Maria Sophia Zaraspe; Peña Marquez, Luis A.; Kunta, Ramya; Foamkom, Astrid-Ines; and Alliey-Rodriguez, Ney, "Investigating neuropsychiatric symptoms in Asian subgroups with dementia using the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) database" (2024). Research Colloquium. 99.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/colloquium/2024/posters/99
Included in
Investigating neuropsychiatric symptoms in Asian subgroups with dementia using the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) database
Background: The incidence of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), such as agitation, depression, anxiety, irritability, and sleeping disturbances, is common among patients with dementia. These symptoms are commonly evaluated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), a useful tool for studying changes in behavior associated with neurodegenerative disorders for the past couple of decades. Another database utilizing the NPI-Q to assess NPS is the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) Database. This uniform data set aims to store participant information, including neuropsychological tests, demographic information, and medical health history, collected from Alzheimer’s Disease Centers across the United States. To date, no studies using the NACC database have compared the prevalence of NPS specifically among different Asian subgroups with dementia. In recent decades, Asian Americans have become the fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States. Despite these statistics and increased interest in advancing the health equity agenda for Asian Americans, there remains an inadequate amount of comprehensive studies and NIH funding including this demographic. Even more so, the majority of studies and reports, including the NACC database, combine Asian participants into one group, potentially concealing health disparities within specific subgroups. This lack of attention to the heterogeneity amongst Asian subgroups hinders the accurate development of healthcare policies and programs that address their particular needs. Therefore it is imperative to prioritize research that supports the ever-evolving demographic characteristics in the United States, including the diverse Asian population. The purpose of this study is to perform an exploratory analysis of the neuropsychiatric symptoms and clinical dementia ratings of Asian subgroups from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) database.
Methods: A sorting code was implemented in Microsoft Excel to redefine and recode Asian participants based on the primary language spoken. The data of these novel subgroups, the severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms, and clinical dementia ratings were analyzed through SPSS statistical tests including ANOVA and Ordinal Logistic Regression.
Results: In total, 1266 participants met the criteria of being non-Hispanic and Asian. There were 626 classified as Asian English Speakers, 505 Asian East-Asian Language Speakers, 60 Asian South-Asian Language Speakers, 66 Asian Southeast-Asian Language Speakers, and 9 Asian Other Language Speakers. There were no significant differences in NPS between Asian subgroups. However, there were significant associations of education, sex, Asian subgroup, and neuropsychiatric severity in predicting clinical dementia ratings.
Conclusion: The results of this study were greatly limited by the small number of Asian participants included in the dataset. Future studies should consider increasing diverse participation and possible grouping based on genotype to better research neuropsychiatric symptoms and dementia, and implement individualized treatment.