You're listening to shortwave from NPR.

Hey everybody, Emily Quang here.

Today we are talking about Alzheimer's disease, which impacts more than 6 million Americans,

and a disproportionate number are black Americans.

So here to talk about that with me is NPR's John Hamilton who covers brain science.

Hey John.

Hey Emily.

So John, you've reported on Alzheimer's for a long time now.

Why is it such a problem for black Americans?

When it comes to Alzheimer's, black Americans are facing the sort of trifecta of adversity.

First, they're more likely than white Americans to get Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

Second, if they do get it, they're more likely to have trouble accessing quality care.

And third, scientists still know very little about how Alzheimer's may be different in people

with African ancestry.

That's because so far, research has focused largely on white people.

Got it.

Okay.

So what's going on in Alzheimer's research to address this?

Okay, I want to play you something here.

Alright, help me count it down in five.

This is a walk to end Alzheimer's event.

It was held in Cleveland, pre-COVID, of course.

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