Black Men's Brain Health and Aging, Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: Life Course Perspectives

Project Summary/Abstract: The United States has invested significant resources through innovative research to address

the profound effects of Alzheimer’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) on families and

society, but Black men historically have not experienced the full benefits of scientific advances from that research. For example, non-Hispanic Black men have diminished health and increased morbidity due to preventable diseases (e.g.,

cardiac, diabetes, high blood pressure) and shorter life expectancies than their White male counterparts Additionally, elderly

Black men are more likely to fall and sustain a TBI than whites, which increases the subsequent vulnerability of brain health and risk of dementia. Similarly, Black American men might be at increased risk for later-life neurological disorders

associated with exposure to brain injury from contact sports participation, military service, and other sources. Although the prevalence of AD/ADRD in Black Americans is two to three times higher than in non-Latinx White Americans, a complete

understanding of the causes of this profound health inequality remains elusive. The lack of a highly trained, multidisciplinary

scientific workforce that addresses the full range of biological, biomedical, behavioral, and health sciences approaches to AD/ADRD health inequities research hinders innovation among this population. This problem is compounded by the

persistent under-representation of Black American males in biomedical research. During this five-year renewal conference series, leading multidisciplinary national and international scholars will come together with emerging investigators to

address specific cultural, social, and behavioral factors that contribute to some individuals in this population being more

cognitively resilient and experience a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than others. Scholars will enhance

the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework (HDRF) with the inclusion of empirically based factors that are responsive

to the Black male experience, as well as focus on efforts to improve recruitment and retention strategies for participation from this population in aging research. An essential feature of the conference series will be to engage community stakeholders (e.g., NFL Alumni Association, Global Sports Institute, Black Men’s Health Clinic, Beloved Community

Services Corporation) in multiple aspects of the conference design, planning, and implementation including the selection of scientists and clinicians, providing feedback on conference presentations, and dissemination. Planning, implementation, participation, and evaluation of the conference will incorporate individuals from historically underrepresented groups.

The aims of the renewal conference series are: (1) Host five multidisciplinary conferences that address knowledge gaps, and

identify future priorities in inclusion science, AD/ADRC clinical trials, cognitive reserve/resilience, aging, and AD/ADRDs

health inequalities life course research among Black men; (2) Train a culturally competent workforce that can advance the

science and practice of lifespan brain health optimization for Black men, and to stimulate new life course research focused on brain health, cognitive aging, and AD/ADRDs among Black men; and (3) Focused and collaborative attention to the

increased representation of Black men in biomedical research. These initiatives align with the goals of the NIA Division of Behavioral Health and Society Research (BSR), to achieve health equity, and improve the health of all groups.