Native Americans are underrepresented in dementia research, but University of Minnesota researchers are about to change that.
Dr. William Mantyh is working with elders on the Bois Forte reservation in northern Minnesota on a new dementia research project. Mantyh is an assistant professor of neurology in the University of Minnesota Medical School. His goal is to learn whether a promising diagnostic blood test for the disease works for Native Americans. Although the blood test appears to work for European Americans, it is unclear whether it works for Native Americans.
American Indians Are Underrepresented In Dementia Research
While the nation’s largest Alzheimer’s disease (AD) blood test research study enrolled several thousand people, only two were Native American. Therefore, the new Minnesota research project will provide important data on Native Americans and Alzheimer’s Disease.
“Although some of our tribal elders are distrustful because of things done in the past, in general we were very receptive to this research,” says Cathy Chavers, Bois Forte tribal chairwoman.
Chavers is also a participant in Mantyh’s study and has worked in health care for almost three decades. She knows well the importance of clinical research.
“There is very little research specifically about Native Americans, and we urgently need more data about the many health problems—dementia, substance abuse, diabetes, heart disease—that are so common on reservations,” she says.
38 Bois Forte Elders Volunteer for Dementia Study
The Bois Forte Band occupies a reservation stretching across 80,000 acres of Minnesota. The reservation has wetlands, lakes, and forest just 40 miles south of the Canadian border.
“Being so isolated is one of our biggest challenges as a tribe,” notes Bois Forte Band member Corey Strong. “Our band members have to travel 60 miles to the closest full-service hospital for most specialized care.” Strong serves as patient benefits case manager for Bois Forte Health and Human Services.
In 2021 and 2022, Mantyh and his team met with 38 tribal elders (those 55 and older) participating in his research. The study included 90-minute visits with each elder, plus a memory test, blood draw, and MRI. Mantyh then went over the results of the tests with each participant. The elders were keenly interested in learning more about their brains and about dementia, says Chevers.
Indigenous Health Team Connected Researchers with Elders
Duluth-based Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team was key to elder recruitment.
The Duluth-based Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team focuses on reducing health disparities in Indigenous communities. The group also has considerable expertise working with Indigenous people on research.
“This research is one of the coolest things Bois Forte has been part of,” says Strong. “This is research that won’t just, ultimately, benefit Bois Forte or even just Minnesota, it will benefit everyone.”
