AUTHOR=Tsvetkova Dobromira Z. , Bergquist Sharon H. , Parker Monica W. , Jarrett Thomas L. , Howell Jennifer C. , Watts Kelly D. , Kollhoff Alexander , Roberts David L. , Hu William T. TITLE=Fear and Uncertainty Do Not Influence Reported Willingness to Undergo Lumbar Punctures in a U.S. Multi-Cultural Cohort JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience VOLUME=9 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00022 DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2017.00022 ISSN=1663-4365 ABSTRACT=
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders can provide early and accurate prediction of underlying neuropathology even when the clinical symptoms are mild, but lumbar punctures (LP) to obtain CSF can be perceived as frightening and invasive. We previously demonstrated that this negative perception of the LP is strongly associated with a negative LP experience in terms of discomfort and complications, but it is not known what factors can lead to a negative perception of the LP. It has also been proposed that LP is less well-perceived by adults in the U.S. compared to Europe and elsewhere, although there is a paucity of primary data to support this. To address these knowledge gaps, we conducted a survey of 237 younger and older adults in the Atlanta area including a significant number born outside of the U.S. (