The National Institutes of Health has awarded researchers at UC San Diego and UC Davis a $15.85 million grant to support the next phase of one of the nation’s most extensive studies on brain aging in Hispanic and Latino communities, according to an April 2 announcement.
Latinos are among the fastest-growing groups in the United States and face higher risks for heart disease, vascular conditions, and cognitive disorders such as mild cognitive impairment or dementia compared to other populations. Despite these risks, Latinos have been underrepresented in research on aging and dementia. The new grant will fund efforts to create what researchers say will be the most comprehensive long-term dataset on Hispanic and Latino brain aging so far.
“Latino communities have been historically overlooked in aging research. This grant allows us to change that,” said Hector González, Ph.D., co-principal investigator on the new grant and professor of neurosciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “By studying brain health in a diverse and deeply characterized Latino cohort, we can develop better tools for early detection and more effective strategies for prevention that truly reflect our communities.”
The project aims to track brain changes over time among Latinos from different backgrounds by following about 1,800 adults over approximately 12 years with repeated MRI scans, blood biomarkers, lifestyle data, and cognitive testing. Charles DeCarli, principal investigator from UC Davis and co-director of its Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center said: “Our goal is to identify the factors that matter most for healthy cognitive aging — and ultimately reduce the burden of dementia for millions of families.” He added: “Our new study will give us an unprecedented ability to understand how the brain changes over time in Latino communities.”
The work builds upon previous research efforts such as the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), which began in 2008 with more than 16,000 participants from various continental and Caribbean backgrounds enrolled across four U.S. cities. That earlier study led to sub-studies like SOL-INCA-MRI collecting thousands of MRI scans used by González’s team.
DeCarli said this new phase moves beyond single-time-point observations toward long-term tracking: “This new grant will allow us to build on our previous work and better understand the temporal factors affecting MCI [mild cognitive impairment] and dementia.” Both DeCarli and González emphasized their focus not only on Alzheimer’s disease but also other pathologies contributing to unhealthy brain aging using advanced imaging data.
“We want to address dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but we also want to address the other pathologies contributing to bad brain aging,” explained González. “What’s truly unique and powerful about this study is the recognition, appreciation and emphasis on understanding these other pathologies by using data from MRIs and biomarker panels.”
Researchers hope their findings will lead not only toward improved early detection but also interventions targeting modifiable risk factors such as high blood pressure—potentially changing outcomes for future generations.
