Demographic diversity of genetic databases used in Alzheimer ’s disease research

In this study, we review published reports in academic journals of genetic studies of Alzheimer ’s disease to note whether demographic diversity was indicated in the reports and, if so, the extent of representation of non-European subjects over the period from 1997 to 2022. We use multivariate regression analysis to analyze changes over time and to explain variation across studies. Our analy sis indicates that reported diversity has not changed over time. Rather, it appears to have remained relatively constant, since Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWASs) were first used in the 1990s. We find most variation to be across journals rather than within journals, suggesting that characterist ics of journals are an important influence on the dissemination of research with diverse samples. Lack of racial diversity in genetic databases used to develop clinical applications could lead to disparities in the effectiveness of those applications for underrepresented groups.
Source: Human Genetics - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research