Orvis School of Nursing, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV.
Ethn Dis. 2024 Oct 22;34(4):181-184. doi: 10.18865/EthnDis-2023-76. eCollection 2024 Oct.
Currently, researchers are examining the feasibility of integrating electrophysiological biomarkers in the clinical assessment of older adults (≥65 years of age) with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This research has been executed predominantly in older Caucasian adults. Older African-American adults have not been effectively recruited for this research. This issue has resulted in a significant gap in the literature about electrophysiological biomarkers and potential clinical utility in assessing for and diagnosing AD in older African-American adults.
To share an opinion about the invisibility of older African-American adults in electrophysiological research on AD and potential outcome their inclusion can have on the integration of electrophysiological biomarkers into clinical practice.
For this commentary, it was necessary to determine the status of older African-American adults in electrophysiological research. Studies were identified using the search engines PUBMED, CINAHL, Elsevier, and Scopus with a time range of between 2016 and 2022. Nineteen peer-reviewed studies supported this commentary.
In older Caucasian adults with AD, electrophysiological biomarkers were associated with the onset and progression of AD. These biomarkers related to the cognitive impairment of AD and its manifestations. There were no studies characterizing any electrophysiological biomarkers in older African-American adults with AD.
Research is growing to support the integration of electrophysiological biomarkers into clinical practice. The invisibility of older African-American adults in this research affects the reliability of electrophysiological biomarkers and their application to persons with AD in racially diverse groups. This invisibility also contributes to health disparities confronting older African-American adults with AD and their caregivers.
目前，研究人员正在研究将电生理生物标志物整合到患有阿尔茨海默病（AD）的老年患者（≥65 岁）的临床评估中的可行性。这项研究主要在老年白种成年人中进行。尚未有效地招募老年非裔美国人参与这项研究。这一问题导致在电生理生物标志物方面的文献以及在评估和诊断老年非裔美国人 AD 方面的潜在临床应用方面存在显著差距。
分享对 AD 电生理研究中看不见老年非裔美国人的看法，以及他们的参与对将电生理生物标志物纳入临床实践的潜在影响。
为了撰写这篇评论，需要确定老年非裔美国人在电生理研究中的地位。使用 PUBMED、CINAHL、Elsevier 和 Scopus 搜索引擎，在 2016 年至 2022 年之间的时间段内进行了研究。有 19 项同行评议研究支持了这篇评论。
在患有 AD 的老年白种成年人中，电生理生物标志物与 AD 的发病和进展有关。这些生物标志物与 AD 的认知障碍及其表现有关。没有研究描述过任何 AD 老年非裔美国人的电生理生物标志物。
越来越多的研究支持将电生理生物标志物整合到临床实践中。这项研究中看不见老年非裔美国人，这会影响电生理生物标志物的可靠性及其在不同种族人群中 AD 患者中的应用。这种不可见性也导致了 AD 老年非裔美国人及其护理人员面临的健康差距。
