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AlzRisk Cohort Detail
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Cohort: Kame Project
Website: http://nikkeiconcerns.org/pdfs/kame_results.pdf
Risk Factors: Obesity

Introduction to the Cohort
The Kame Project is a prospective cohort that began in 1991. Investigators follow approximately 2000 Japanese-Americans residing in Seattle and King County in Washington. At baseline, participants were dementia-free, aged 65 years and older, and of at least fifty-percent Japanese heritage. The participants were subjected to a cognitive abilities test every two years, and those that performed below a certain level were given an in-depth neurological examination. The prevalence and incidence of dementia among these participants were compared to the national rates in the U.S. and rates in Japan to determine the influence of environmental factors on dementia. In 1993, investigators obtained blood samples from approximately 1100 of these participants to study the association between ApoE-e4 allele status and Alzheimer Disease.

Ethnicity Breakdown
All participants are Japanese-Americans.

Diagnosis & Evaluation Methods
The investigators assessed the cognitive abilities of the participants utilizing the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument(CASI). Participants who scored <87 were subject to a thorough neurological examination.

For a detailed description, see Borenstein et al. 1996.

References
Borenstein GA, Larson ED, et al. Prevalence of dementia and its subtypes in the Japanese American Population of King County, Washington State: The Kame Project. American Journal of Epidemiology 1996. 144: 760-771.

Hughs ST, Borenstein A, Schofield E, et al. Association between late-life body mass index and dementia: The Kame Project. Neurology. 2009; 72: 1741-1746.