Ongoing Studies

 

Social determinants of health outcomes and aging in Black communities 

• The objective of the research is to investigate how social determinants of health, such as socioeconomic status and neighborhood factors, influence health outcomes and the process of normal aging in Black communities. Specifically, the study aims to identify both risk and resilience factors unique to these communities that affect aging trajectories, with the goal of informing more culturally relevant interventions and policies to support healthy aging. Through this research, we seek to expand the understanding of the role of social context in aging and reduce health disparities within Black populations.

 

Early characterization of cognition and AD risk in African American men (Sponsor, National Institute on Aging)

• The ongoing research study addresses the critical need to investigate cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in older African American men, recognizing that past research primarily focused on White Americans may not be applicable. It highlights the lack of neuroimaging and comprehensive data on African American men before and during cognitive decline. The study employs a cross-sectional approach to examine genetic, social, and environmental influences on their brain health, aiming to enhance understanding of AD mechanisms and develop tailored interventions to mitigate AD risk and improve cognitive function in this demographic.

 

 

Sleep and AD risk in Black/African Americans (Sponsor, Alzheimer's Association)

• African Americans have over twice the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to White Americans, partly due to lifestyle factors like sleep disturbances, lack of physical activity, and elevated stress levels. This research examines within-group differences in sleep quality among older African Americans and its implications for AD risk, while exploring the interaction between sleep and social determinants of health. Objective sleep data will be collected from urban-dwelling African Americans aged 40+ using mobile-home sleep monitoring devices, complemented by standardized cognitive and neuropsychological tests to assess cognitive status as well as ethnographic interviews to better understand their experiences with sleep.

 

 

Pilot study to explore pathways to ADRD in older African American men (Sponsor, Michigan Center for Contextual Factors in Alzheimer's Disease)

• The proposed research aims to identify individual variabilities in risk of cognitive decline and conversion to AD in African American men. The findings will help identify and validate early markers of AD, paving the way for tailored interventions to mitigate AD risk and slow its progression in African American men.