R01AG070956

Identifying Digital Phenotypes of Risk for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Among Hispanics/Latinos - Project Summary

Hispanics/Latinos are at increased risk for developing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) compared to non-Hispanic whites. While factors underlying this disparity are not well understood, increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among Hispanics/Latinos is likely to be a contributory factor.

Pathological changes of ADRD begin years before clinical symptoms become evident, and interventions are most likely to confer benefit in the earliest stages of ADRD. There is a pressing need to develop tools to detect the earliest manifestations of ADRD, particularly in Hispanics, who develop symptoms of ADRD at earlier ages yet are diagnosed at more advanced disease stages than other groups.

A variety of behaviors show changes in the preclinical stages of ADRD, including sleep, gait speed, and physical activity, among others. Recent innovations in mobile technology now offer novel ways to collect, track, and analyze these behaviors passively and unobtrusively, as a person engages in their daily life.

Our preliminary work demonstrated that the application of machine learning models to passively-collected digital health data from smartphones and wearables differentiated persons with and without mild cognitive impairment with 85% accuracy in a primarily non-Hispanic white sample.

Guided by the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework, we propose to leverage artificial intelligence (AI)-powered analytics and insights, coupled with readily available sensors in consumer electronics (smartphones, wrist-worn wearables), to identify digital biomarkers of ADRD risk, with a focus on vascular contributions to dementia, among Hispanics/Latinos.

Augmenting an existing cohort study of Hispanics/Latinos residing in Southern California, the proposed study has three principal aims:

Aim 1 involves determining digital signatures of ADRD risk among Hispanics (N=300; aged 50-70 years) using integrated passive mobile sensing features, derived from smartphones and wrist-worn wearables, and machine learning methods. ADRD risk will be defined by cognitive status and CVD risk burden (diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity, smoking) and will also incorporate apolipoprotein E (APOE-E4) and plasma-based AD biomarkers for further classification of ADRD risk.

Aim 2 investigates sex differences in digital signatures of ADRD risk, and Aim 3 examines the impact of sociocultural factors (e.g., language use, acculturation) on these signatures. We will also investigate whether changes in digital data features predict longitudinal neurocognitive change over a span of three years in a subset of Hispanics with and without ADRD risk.

Housed within a renowned research institution at the vanguard of ADRD research and engineering innovations, the proposed study includes a multidisciplinary team with expertise across all aspects of this cutting-edge proposal. Recognizing the value of a community-engaged research approach, we have partnered with community stakeholders to ensure the relevance of our study to the Hispanic community.

Our work could revolutionize early detection of ADRD and reduce ADRD disparities by developing a low burden, low-cost approach to identify ADRD risk among Hispanics.

San Diego University Of California

TO ENCOURAGE BIOMEDICAL, SOCIAL, AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING DIRECTED TOWARD GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE AGING PROCESS AND THE DISEASES, SPECIAL PROBLEMS, AND NEEDS OF PEOPLE AS THEY AGE. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING HAS ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS TO PURSUE THESE GOALS. THE DIVISION OF AGING BIOLOGY EMPHASIZES UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF AGING. THE DIVISION OF GERIATRICS AND CLINICAL GERONTOLOGY SUPPORTS RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THE ABILITIES OF HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS TO RESPOND TO THE DISEASES AND OTHER CLINICAL PROBLEMS OF OLDER PEOPLE. THE DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL RESEARCH SUPPORTS RESEARCH THAT WILL LEAD TO GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT BOTH THE PROCESS OF GROWING OLD AND THE PLACE OF OLDER PEOPLE IN SOCIETY. THE DIVISION OF NEUROSCIENCE FOSTERS RESEARCH CONCERNED WITH THE AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE RELATED SENSORY, PERCEPTUAL, AND COGNITIVE PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH AGING AND HAS A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SBIR PROGRAM, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.866 - Aging Research

National Institute on Aging (NIA) [HHS - NIH]

La Jolla, California 920930665 United States

Single Zip Code

Research on Current Topics in Alzheimer's Disease and Its Related Dementias (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-19-070)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 385% from $805,050 to $3,900,801.