Kacie Deters
· Professor of Integrative Biology & PhysiologyUniversity of California, Los Angeles · Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Active 2014–2025
About
Kacie Deters, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor leading the Kacie Deters Lab. Her research focus is not explicitly detailed on the provided page, but she is involved in guiding a team of students and staff members engaged in various research activities. Her role includes overseeing the lab's research efforts and contributing to the academic community through her leadership. She is associated with UCLA Life Sciences and is actively involved in mentoring students at different levels, from undergraduate to graduate, as well as staff research associates. Her professional profile emphasizes her leadership position and her commitment to research and community engagement within her lab.
Research topics
- Psychology
- Pathology
- Internal medicine
- Sociology
- Medicine
- Political Science
- Anthropology
- Gerontology
- Audiology
- Geography
- Psychiatry
- Neuroscience
Selected publications
Alzheimer s & Dementia · 2025-12-01
articleOpen accessBACKGROUND: Educational attainment protects against poor cognitive health outcomes in later-life via beneficial impacts on brain health in regions implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, brain health mechanisms underlying the protective effect of education on cognition may differ between men and women and across different racialized and ethnic groups, given differences in their educational opportunities. This study aims to characterize sex/gender differences in the effects of education on later-life cognitive trajectories in Korean and US research study cohorts. METHOD: Data were from older adults without dementia in the Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease (KBASE: N = 434, age=70±8 years, education = 11±5 years, 57% women) and the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI3: N = 375, age=71±7 years, education = 17±2 years, 53% women; all non-Latinx white). Latent growth curves examined whether there were sex/gender differences in the mediating roles of baseline hippocampal volume and cortical thickness AD-signature regions (separately) on the associations between education and four-year memory trajectories. Models were stratified by sex/gender, cohort, adjusting for age, APOE genotype, and cardiometabolic conditions (in KBASE). RESULT: All mediation models fit well. Among women in KBASE, hippocampal volume partially mediated the association between greater educational attainment and higher memory level (indirect effect: β=.06, SE=.02, p = .02) and slower memory decline (indirect effect: β=.04, SE=.02, p = .04; Figure 1). Among women in ADNI, a similar pattern of association was observed for memory level (indirect effect: β=.04, SE=.02, p = .04; Figure 2) but not memory change. Mediation was not observed in men in KBASE and ADNI. Cortical thickness did not mediate the effects of education on memory in either cohort. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight potential sex/gender differences in neurobiological pathways linking education to cognition, while differences in effects on memory decline point to differences in mechanisms underlying memory trajectories across cohorts. Future research is needed confirm causal effects and characterize sociocultural factors that may shape educational opportunities and brain health across diverse populations.
Alzheimer s & Dementia · 2025-12-01
articleOpen accessSenior authorAbstract Background Normative cognitive aging and the influence of genetic risk factors on neurodegenerative disease processes differ between ethnic and racialized groups. The aims of this study were to examine differences in normative cognitive aging between research cohorts from the United States and Korea and evaluate the impact of APOE ε4 . Method We estimated normative cognitive aging patterns among non‐Hispanic white participants in United States (ADNI, N = 609; Age mean =73±6; % Female=54; Years of education = 16.7±2.5) and Korean (KBASE, N = 245; Age mean =68±8; % Female=50; Years of education = 12.3±4.6) cohorts who remained free of cognitive impairment over 4‐years of follow‐up using linear mixed effects models by age. Harmonized data were leveraged to estimate cognition by age across domains of memory, executive function, language, and visuospatial abilities. Linear mixed‐effects models with a random intercept by participant and fixed effect interactions of age with sex, education, APOE ε4 (excluding ε2/ε4 carriers), and cohort (ADNI vs. KBASE) were specified for each domain; a three‐way interaction between age, APOE ε4 , and cohort was also specified. Result Normative aging patterns demonstrated higher intercepts for executive functioning ( β [95%CI]=0.18[0.10,0.26]) and visuospatial ( β [95%CI]=0.15 [0.06,0.24]) domains in KBASE compared to ADNI, with a lower intercept for memory ( β [95% CI]=‐0.27[‐0.35,‐0.19]), and no difference in the intercept for language ( β [95%CI]=‐0.05[‐0.13,0.03]). Participants in KBASE exhibited steeper age‐related declines across all domains of cognition ( β range = ‐0.21,‐0.09). APOE ε4 carrier status was associated with lower memory ( β [95%CI]=‐0.17[‐0.32,‐0.02]) and visuospatial ( β [95%CI]=‐0.31[‐0.48, ‐0.14]) intercepts and a slower rate of age‐related decline for executive function ( β [95%CI]=0.17[0.05,0.15]) in KBASE, but not ADNI (Table, Figure). Main effects of interest were broadly consistent in a covariate matched sample. Conclusion Results show variability in normative cognitive aging patterns between research study participants in United States and Korean imaging studies. APOE ε4 was more influential in rates of decline among Korean participants. These findings underscore the importance of replicating findings, diversifying study populations, and of considering ethnic and racialized backgrounds when examining genetic risk and cognitive aging, as different populations may show distinct patterns of decline.
Alzheimer s & Dementia · 2025-12-01
articleOpen accessBACKGROUND: Experiencing discrimination is associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes that may contribute to the disproportionate rate of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias among Black women. Cognitive aging research rarely examines intersectional discrimination while capturing heterogeneity within groups. This study identified latent classes of intersectional discrimination among Black women to examine the association between everyday discrimination and episodic memory trajectories. METHOD: Participants were Black women (M age = 67.55, SD = 10.3) from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 1,074). Discrimination was assessed at baseline (2006/2008) using the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS) which asked participants to attribute their experience of discrimination to: ancestry, sex/gender, race, age, weight, disability, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and/or other. Latent class analysis of EDS attributions was used to identify classes of intersectional discrimination. Class membership was assigned by highest posterior probability. Episodic memory was assessed using a z-score, standardized to baseline, calculated for five biennial waves (2008-2016). Multiple-group latent growth curve models examined associations between everyday discrimination and episodic memory trajectories, adjusting for age and years of education. RESULT: A four-class solution categorized participants into classes of intersectional discrimination based on: (1) most attributes (1.77%); (2) ancestry, race, gender, and age (23.0%); (3) age, weight, and disability (6.13%); and (4) no or few attributes (69.1%). Greater everyday discrimination was associated with lower baseline memory in Group 4 (β = -.101; 95% CI: -.177, -.024), and no association was observed for other groups. Episodic memory declined over time across all groups, but the rate of change did not significantly differ by group (β range: -0.117 Group 1 to -.068 Group 2). CONCLUSION: This research attempted to account for the discrimination experienced by a heterogenous group of Black women. Baseline cognition was most strongly associated with discrimination among Black women reporting either the least frequent discrimination or fewest reasons for experiencing discrimination. For most of the sample, greater everyday discrimination was associated with lower episodic memory at baseline but not over time. There were no meaningful differences in memory decline over time across classes. Examination of associations with other aspects of cognition and risk of dementia is warranted.
Alzheimer s & Dementia · 2025-12-01
articleOpen accessBACKGROUND: Recent in vivo biomarker advancements have led to biological diagnostic and staging criteria for AD based on amyloid("A"), tau("T"), and neurodegeneration("N"). However, the contribution of comorbid vascular("V") pathology and the relative influence of ATNV on cognitive performance and decline remains unclear, though is necessary to guide personalized diagnosis, prognosis, and care. We assessed the relative contribution of neuroimaging-based ATNV measures to cognition in cross-national studies. METHOD: Amyloid PET, tau PET, MRI, cognitive testing, and clinical evaluations were obtained in two prospective cohort studies with similar designs: ADNI3 in the US (n = 508; mean age=71±7, female=55%, education(yrs)=16.5±2.3) and KBASE in South Korea (n = 165; age=73±8, female=64%, education(yrs)=11.0±4.6). Continuous ATNV predictors included A=cortical centiloids, T=meta-temporal SUVR, N = AD-signature cortical thickness, and V=white matter hyperintensity volume. Clinical diagnoses of cognitively unimpaired (CU), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia were determined by clinical consensus. Cognitive testing was obtained annually with up to 4 years of follow-up, and factor scores in each cognitive domain were used as outcomes. Parallel cross-sectional analyses were performed within each cohort. ANOVA was performed to compare ATNV across clinical diagnoses. Multivariable linear mixed-effect models were used to assess the association of baseline ATNV predictors with baseline and longitudinal cognitive outcomes adjusting for age, sex, education, and APOE status. RESULT: A, T, N, and V as continuous (mean) and binary (frequency of positivity) variables increased with clinical disease severity in both ADNI and KBASE (Table 1). In ADNI, T and N were associated with lower intercepts in each cognitive domain, V was associated with visuospatial and executive function intercepts, and A with the memory intercept (Table 2). Higher baseline T was associated with decline in each domain, and A was associated with memory decline. In KBASE, T was associated with lower memory and visuospatial intercepts, and N with visuospatial and executive function intercepts (Table 3). No factors (ATNV) were associated with cognitive decline over time in KBASE. CONCLUSION: Among ATNV measures, T and N are most strongly associated with cognition in individuals in the US and South Korea. T is most predictive of future cognitive decline in individuals in the US, though not replicated in Korea.
Alzheimer s & Dementia · 2025-12-01
articleOpen accessSenior authorBACKGROUND: Social factors such as discrimination and loneliness predict cognitive decline and are commonly reported by Black Americans. TOMM40, a genetic marker adjacent to APOE, is also linked to cognition. Previous work found Black Americans with APOE-ε3/ε3 and with two copies of the short (S) variant of TOMM40-'523 have a faster rate of cognitive decline, while the presence of '523-S in Black APOE-ε4+ carriers is related to slower cognitive decline. The extent to which these social and biological factors may work together to influence cognition in Black older adults is unknown. We investigated whether discrimination and loneliness impact the effect of TOMM40-'523-S on cognitive decline. METHOD: =14.7±3.23; Female=80.7%). Linear mixed effect models examined the effects of TOMM40-'523-S (0, 1, or 2 copies) within APOE genotype (ε3/ε3 or ε4+) and social factors (discrimination, loneliness) on baseline composite measures of global cognition and five cognitive domains. Discrimination was modeled as a dichotomous variable (none vs. presence), while loneliness was continuous. Covariates included age, education (years), and sex/gender, and interactions with time from baseline. Average years of follow-up was 9.5 years. RESULT: Neither discrimination nor loneliness influenced the effect of '523-S on cognitive decline for the global composite or in specific domains. In APOE-ε4+ carriers (N = 220), discrimination was associated with a faster rate of decline in working memory (β=-0.022, S.E.=0.011, p = 0.044) and perceptual speed (β=-0.022, S.E.=0.014, p = 0.047) (Table 1). Loneliness was not associated with cognitive decline in either APOE-stratified model (ε3/ε3: N = 269; ε4+: N = 167) (Table 2). We also observed baseline effects of discrimination in APOE-ε3/ε3 individuals (N = 360, Table 1), and of loneliness in APOE-ε4+ individuals (Table 2). CONCLUSION: Social factors did not influence the effect of TOMM40-'523 on cognitive decline, but the effects of discrimination and loneliness on baseline cognition varied by APOE-genotype, and discrimination predicted cognitive decline in APOE-ε4+ carriers only. These findings suggest that APOE-ε4+ carriers may be vulnerable to the negative effects of discrimination on cognitive decline.
Alzheimer s & Dementia Diagnosis Assessment & Disease Monitoring · 2025-04-01
articleOpen accessSenior authorCorrespondingAbstract INTRODUCTION We assessed associations between apolipoprotein E Translocase of Outer Mitochondrial Membrane 40 ( APOE‐TOMM40) ‐‘523 haplotypes and white matter microstructure (WMM) across limbic tracts important for memory and cognition in non‐Hispanic Black and White individuals. METHODS Linear regression models, stratified by APOE and racialized groups, assessed associations between TOMM40 ‐‘523‐S and limbic tract WMM free‐water (FW) and free‐water‐corrected fractional anisotropy (FAFWcorr). RESULTS Black‐ε4+‐one‐'523‐S carriers had lower FW in the cingulum and inferior longitudinal fasciculus compared to Black‐ε4+‐no‐'523‐S carriers. Additionally, Black‐ε4+‐one‐'523‐S carriers had lower FW in the cingulum, uncinate, and fornix, and higher FA FWcorr in the uncinate compared to Black‐ε4+‐'523‐S/S carriers. White‐ε3/ε3‐‘523‐S/S carriers had lower FAFWcorr in the cingulum and inferior temporal gyrus compared to White‐ε3/ε3‐no‐'523‐S carriers, and lower FAFWcorr in the cingulum compared to White‐ε3/ε3‐one‐‘523‐S carriers. DISCUSSION This supports prior work that ‘523‐S is associated with abnormal aging in White‐ε3/ε3 carriers, but is potentially risk‐mitigating in Black‐ε4+ carriers, while suggesting a differential effect by racialized background of APOE on WMM. Highlights White matter microstructure (WMM) across limbic tracts important for cognition was measured by diffusion MRI. Black apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4+ carriers with one copy of TOMM40‐‘523‐S had normal aging WMM metrics across several tracts, including the cingulum bundle, uncinate fasciculus, fornix, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus. White APOE ε3/ε3 carriers with two copies of TOMM40‐‘523‐S had abnormal aging WMM metrics in the cingulum bundle and inferior temporal gyrus. APOE associations with aging may differ in racialized groups due to TOMM40‐‘523‐S copy number.
Evaluating the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Brain Aging in Black and White individuals
Alzheimer s & Dementia · 2025-12-01
articleOpen accessSenior authorBACKGROUND: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been linked to a wide range of cognitive health issues. MRI-based brain age prediction is a valuable tool for assessing brain health that has been made possible due to recent advancements in machine learning. These machine learning algorithms can predict an individual's brain age and how different it is from chronological age, a difference referred to as the Brain Age Gap (BAG). While research has explored various factors influencing brain aging, the impact of ACEs on BAG remains underexplored. Thus, this study aims to examine if childhood adversity is associated with accelerated brain aging in non-Hispanic Black and White individuals. METHOD: Participants in this study consisted of cognitively normal older adults from the Rush Memory and Aging Project and the Minority Aging Research Study who self-identified as Black (N = 233) or White (N = 619). Childhood adversity was categorized by the median split of low (Black = 0-8; White = 0-7) or high (Black = 9-58; White = 8-44). Linear regression analyses were then used to determine if childhood adversity was associated with BAG, including education and sex as covariates. RESULT: Higher levels of childhood adversity were significantly associated with higher BAG values (i.e., higher predicted brain age) in White individuals (B = 0.697, SE = 0.348, p = 0.046). No significant association was identified in Black individuals. CONCLUSION: This study provides preliminary evidence that childhood adversity may be linked to accelerated brain aging in White individuals. The lack of association in Black individuals may suggest other mechanisms, such as social or biological factors, that may influence brain aging in this group.
Alzheimer s & Dementia · 2024-03-09 · 18 citations
articleOpen accessDementia research lacks appropriate representation of diverse groups who often face substantial adversity and greater risk of dementia. Current research participants are primarily well-resourced, non-Hispanic White, cisgender adults who live close to academic medical centers where much of the research is based. Consequently, the field faces a knowledge gap about Alzheimer's-related risk factors in those other groups. The Alzheimer's Association hosted a virtual conference on June 14-16, 2021, supported in part by the National Institute on Aging (R13 AG072859-01), focused on health disparities. The conference was held entirely online and consisted of 2 days of core programming and a day of focused meetings centered on American Indian and Alaska Natives and on LGBTQIA+ populations. Over 1300 registrants attended discussions focused on the structural and systemic inequities experienced across diverse groups, as well as ways to investigate and address these inequities.
Alzheimer s & Dementia · 2024-12-22 · 11 citations
articleOpen accessAbstract INTRODUCTION The effects of sex and apolipoprotein E ( APOE )—Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factors—on white matter microstructure are not well characterized. METHODS Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data from nine well‐established longitudinal cohorts of aging were free water (FW)–corrected and harmonized. This dataset included 4741 participants (age = 73.06 ± 9.75) with 9671 imaging sessions over time. FW and FW‐corrected fractional anisotropy (FA FWcorr ) were used to assess differences in white matter microstructure by sex and APOE ε4 carrier status. RESULTS Sex differences in FA FWcorr in projection tracts and APOE ε4 differences in FW limbic and occipital transcallosal tracts were most pronounced. DISCUSSION There are prominent differences in white matter microstructure by sex and APOE ε4 carrier status. This work adds to our understanding of disparities in AD. Additional work to understand the etiology of these differences is warranted. Highlights Sex and apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) ε4 carrier status relate to white matter microstructural integrity. Females generally have lower free water–corrected fractional anisotropy compared to males. APOE ε4 carriers tended to have higher free water than non‐carriers.
Alzheimer s & Dementia · 2024-12-01
articleOpen accessSenior authorAbstract Background APOE is in linkage disequilibrium with the length of poly‐T repeats at the rs10524523 (‘523) locus of the TOMM40 gene. APOE‐e3 is associated with short (S) and (VL) variants of ‘523 in white and Black individuals. In white individuals, APOE‐e4 is associated with the long (L) ‘523 variant, but is associated with ‘523‐S, ‘523‐L, and ‘523‐VL variants in Black individuals. Black e3‐’523‐S carriers have faster rates of cognitive decline while Black e4‐’523‐S carriers have slower rates of cognitive decline. Little is known about the association of these haplotypes with white matter integrity. This study aims to determine the association between APOE/TOMM40 haplotypes and white matter microstructure (WMM) in tracts important for cognition and risk of AD. Methods Data comes from participants without cognitive impairment from the Rush Memory and Aging Project and the Minority Aging Research Study who self‐identified as non‐Hispanic white (N=500) and non‐Hispanic Black (N=144). WMM was measured using diffusion MRI (dMRI). dMRI was preprocessed using PreQual and microstructural metrics were calculated in DTIFIT and MATLAB. Data was harmonized using Longitudinal ComBat. We assessed free‐water (FW; higher values are abnormal) and FW‐corrected fractional anisotropy (FAFW‐corr; lower values are abnormal) in five limbic tracts that are associated with AD: the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, cingulum, fornix, inferior temporal gyrus, and uncinate fasciculus. The effect of 0, 1, or 2 copies of ‘523‐S on FW and FAFW‐corr was assessed using linear regression models, controlling for age, sex/gender, and education. Results White e3/e3 participants with two copies of ‘523‐S had lower FAFW‐corr in the cingulum (ß=‐0.006, SE=0.003, P=0.031) and inferior temporal gyrus (ß=‐0.007, SE=0.003, P=0.042) (Table). Black e4+ participants with one‐‘523‐S had lower FW in cingulum (ß=‐0.024, SE=0.01, P=0.020) and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ß=‐0.0304, SE=0.013, P=0.026) (Table). Conclusions This is the first study examining APOE/‘523 variation on WMM in Black participants, and the first to examine this association using FW‐corrected metrics. These results support prior findings that ‘523‐S copy‐number is deleterious in White‐e3/e3 participants, but protective in Black‐e4+ participants. These findings suggest a differential effect by racialized background of APOE on brain microstructural integrity in older adults.
Recent grants
Frequent coauthors
- 86 shared
Shannon L. Risacher
- 67 shared
Andrew J. Saykin
Indiana University
- 37 shared
Elizabeth C. Mormino
Stanford University
- 36 shared
Reisa A. Sperling
Harvard University
- 29 shared
Michael D. Greicius
Stanford University
- 29 shared
Timothy J. Hohman
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- 29 shared
Valerio Napolioni
Università di Camerino
- 26 shared
Richard Mayeux
Columbia University
Labs
Education
- 2015
Ph.D., Integrative Biology and Physiology
University of California, Los Angeles
- 2010
B.S., Integrative Biology and Physiology
University of California, Los Angeles
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