PI
Co-Investigators
-Europe
-Latin America
Lay Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) tools hold potential to support the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases that cause dementia. To grant such tools the necessary validity, reliability, and scalability, we will need to integrate knowledge developed by world leading EEG laboratories. The EuroLaD-EEG consortium brings together EEG experts from European and Latin American countries to develop the first ever “Global EEG platform for dementia”. This platform will provide access to resources for advance EEG data analysis and inter-lab/country harmonization, capability for data sharing, collaboration and networking, and training opportunities for capacity building. EuroLaD-EEG will rely on EEG data collected by eight EEG lab across participating countries to identify sources of variability that can range from technical to biological. Controlling for such sources, we will identify EEG signatures across a wide range of genetic and sporadic degenerative diseases and generate enhanced algorithms for phenotyping such diseases. Such knowledge will provide the context to embark on ambitious sustainability strategies that will leverage the work of EuroLaD-EEG and deliver low-cost and scalable dementia diagnostic solutions that can help bridge gaps across developed and developing countries.
PI
Local Investigators
International Collaborators
Lay Abstract
Recent studies suggested that regulatory Tregs (CD4+CD25+ Foxp3+ T-cells) may play a key role in the pathophysiology of various neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer ́s disease (AD). However, the impact of Tregs modulation of immune responses during disease progression is poorly understood and still controversial. It has been suggested that onset of clinical symptoms in AD may correlate with a systemic immune suppression, impairing the ability to mount a proper immune response needed to mitigate neuroinflammation and the progressive amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition. We hypothesize that systemic immune alterations (particularly in Tregs levels and activity) at different stages of the AD pathology may interfere with the ability to fight against AD. In a 2021 study, Jiping Fu et al., reported that Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients have higher Tregs proportions compared with AD-related dementia patients. Thus, the main objective of this proposal is to depict a high-resolution transcriptomic landscape of blood immune cells during spontaneous disease progression (Control vs. MCI vs. AD patients), which will facilitate a better understanding of the protective and/or pathogenic immune responses at different stages of the disease. We are proposing to expand our RedLat genomic assessment of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to transcriptomic (immune single-cell RNAseq).
PI
Assesor Investigator
Abstract
Complex biological-cognitive-social interactions determine the neurocognitive pathways of normal aging (NA) and neurodegeneration (ND). The study of those interactions has grown in high-income countries; however, these efforts are still reduced in Latin American countries (LAC). A further assessment of the biological-cognitive-social interactions in LAC is required considering the particular genetic ancestry in the region and the concomitant high prevalence of risky social determinants of health (SDH, including the social adversities, reduced access to health resources, social isolation, and stressful life events). The SDH have shown to impact a broad spectrum of health and cognitive outcomes, including mental and physical health, the cognitive reserve (CR, a resilient cognitive factor that promotes healthy aging), as well as, the social cognitive processes (SC), and the clinical functionality (CF). Against this background, we aimed to understand the extent to which the interplay between the SDH and a group of cognitive-clinical biomarkers (including the CR, SC, and the CF) shapes the multimodal neurocognitive phenotypes of NA and ND in LAC. This knowledge helps us to develop an international research proposal to study the interactions between SDH, CR, SC, and CF and the particular genetic-epigenetic gradients associated with NA and ND in LAC.
PI
CO-Investigador
Collaborators
Abstract
Reduced access and the heterogeneous quality of dementia education for clinicians hinder the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases in Latin America.
Aim: This unique program aims to fill these gaps by creating an interactive, abridged, behavioral neurology training program in Spanish for Latin American clinicians.
Methods: We will open a call to participate targeting graduated neurologists, geriatricians, or psychiatrists from Latin America. We hope to recruit 30 participants who can commit to the program requirements and timeline. The curriculum will be structured in four modules in the form of seminars, workshops, and interactive clinical case conferences. The program has a particular focus on generating human resources that are prepared to serve underrepresented dementia patients in low-income settings.
Expected results: Clinicians trained through our proposed program will be equipped to promote culturally sensitive dementia prevention, diagnostic, and care strategies. Clinicians will have tools to inform research and participate in the existing projects in the region. Interactions between clinician participants and instructors will help build new bonds among brain health leaders in Latin America. The generated expert knowledge will become a powerful vehicle for fighting dementia in Latin American regions, which currently have large inequities and underserved populations.
PI
Abstract
BrainLat aims to create an innovative research environment that will train emerging leaders, support cutting-edge research projects, and build capacity for future work in the region. The institute will administer a substantial grantmaking program, in addition to conducting a number of internal research projects and serving as a coordinating center for multi-site studies. The ReDLat consortium is organized around a large and complex multi-site study, providing a unique setting for researchers from around the world to explore questions related to dementia. Managing the administrative, financial, and reporting requirements for these two programs requires substantial effort and specialized training. Not only is there a tremendous volume of contracting for coordinating centers, but all involved sites must have dedicated staff, administrative infrastructure, and specialized knowledge and skills to accurately track funding sources and correctly monitor and report on each scope of work. This proposal aims to address these needs by developing a training program tailored for the specific requirements of international dementia and brain health research and designed to evolve with BrainLat’s changing scope. The tools and materials created through this work will be adapted for wider audiences and will serve as resources for sustained growth across BrainLat, ReDLat, and GBHI.
