Demographic Categorization of Subjects within the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Database

Abstract

Background Dementia and its impact on the aging population is a growing public health concern. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease and is primarily characterized by a decline in cognitive function that affects a person’s day-to-day activities. The development and diagnosis of AD occurs in stages, beginning with cognitive symptoms in the preclinical stage and progressing to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) then mild, moderate, or severe AD. This study is designed to categorize subjects within the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database to discover alternative indicators for the development and diagnosis of AD. Methods 981 AD patients were extracted from the ADNI database and had a cortical SUVr ≥ 1.2, measured using PET imaging utilizing the AV45 biomarker. This indicated a patient as Aβ+, meeting the requirements for AD diagnosis. Subjects were analyzed via one-way MANOVAs examining the impacts of head trauma, smoking, and marital status on the onset of cognitive symptoms, MCI, and AD symptoms. Results In congruence with the literature, results indicate that TBI+ patients report earlier onset of MCI (F (1, 114) = 5.660, p < .05). Additionally, results yield that patients who smoke develop AD symptoms later (F(1,23) = 9.211, p < .01) and patients who are divorced develop cognitive impairment earlier (F (4,813) = 2.750, p <.05). Conclusion Although the stages of AD are well-described, its diagnosis presents a challenge, particularly in early stages, as its symptoms are often attributed to the consequences of aging. These results support previous research describing TBI effects on the development of AD and may provide diagnostic insight regarding the development of AD. Future research should focus on improving the diagnostic criteria for AD, providing guidance to researchers and physicians on the development and implementation of early interventions.