R01AG072634

Contribution of Longitudinal Neighborhood Determinants to Cognitive Health and Dementia Disparities within a Multi-Ethnic Cohort - Project Summary/Abstract

Beyond the role that individual factors (e.g. age, race, gender, and socioeconomic status) play in the progression of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), neighborhood factors (e.g. social and built environments) may affect cognitive health. Critically, although African American and Hispanic individuals face the highest and most disproportionate risk for ADRD, research has traditionally excluded diverse populations. Given historic and current patterning of healthy neighborhood factors by racial and socioeconomic characteristics, these features may partially explain observed disparities in ADRD risk.

To date, there has been no research on the role of neighborhood environments in disparities in ADRD risk. In this study, we propose to leverage and extend extensive longitudinal data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) to address major gaps in research on neighborhoods and disparities in ADRD. We propose to undertake large-scale collection, processing, and distribution of new neighborhood data within MESA. Our main objective is to identify unique patterns of neighborhood change related to the causes of prevalence and disparities in cognitive decline and dementia.

We will attain our main objective by:
- Aim 1: Characterizing dynamic, longitudinal neighborhood social and built environment variables (survey-based and GIS-derived) relevant to cognition for residential addresses of a MESA.
- Aim 2: Examining associations of neighborhood environmental characteristics with cognition and clinically relevant ADRD outcomes.
- Aim 3: Investigating determinants of disparities in ADRD outcomes by socioeconomic position and race/ethnicity and assessing the contribution of neighborhood environments.

This project is poised to provide robust new evidence about pathways and links between neighborhood environments and cognitive outcomes, with important implications for built environment science, ADRD progression research, and policies to support healthy aging. Aim 1 will create the most comprehensive longitudinal neighborhood dataset on a diverse sample with detailed cognitive and ADRD outcomes for widespread dissemination to a network of researchers. Analyses in Aim 2 will contribute to developing substantive theory on the role of neighborhoods in ADRD progression and provide guidance for urban planners to design neighborhoods that support healthy aging. Aim 3 examines component contributions to racial disparities in cognition and ADRD. Through this, we expect to identify actionable, community and clinical interventions to address and remediate racial and socioeconomic inequalities derived from the unequal distribution of environmental supports for healthy aging. We expect this evidence to support and amplify efforts to reduce disparities.

Drexel University

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]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 191042650 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 330% from $1,147,726 to $4,930,675.