2022 Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship to Promote Diversity (AARF-D)

Psychosocial and Cardiometabolic Modifiers of AD Risk Heritability

How might psychosocial and biological factors interact with genetic risk factors to determine Alzheimer’s risk?

Zarina Kraal, Ph.D.
Columbia University
New York, NY - United States

Background

Many researchers believe that there is not a single cause of Alzheimer’s but rather it develops over time as a result of multiple factors such as lifestyle, environment and genetics.  Studies show that cognitively unimpaired adults who have a parent with Alzheimer’s are at an increased risk and may show signs of cognitive deficits and biological brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s in middle age. Older non-Hispanic Black Americans and Hispanic/ Latino Americans are disproportionately more likely than older whites to develop Alzheimer’s or other dementias. However, little is known about factors that may modify the intergenerational transmission of Alzheimer’s risk.

Research shows that familial risk for Alzheimer’s may also be associated with poor psychosocial functions (such as depression/ anxiety and low levels of social support) and cardiometabolic health (such as hypertension and Type 2 diabetes). However, more research is needed in diverse populations to better understand how having a parent with Alzheimer’s may interact with an individuals’ psychosocial and biological factors to influence dementia risk.

Research Plan

Dr. Zarina Kraal and colleagues will study racial and ethnic differences in the contribution of modifiable psychosocial (such as depression/ anxiety and low levels of social support) and cardiometabolic (such as hypertension and Type 2 diabetes) factors related to the heritability of Alzheimer’s risk. The researchers will recruit 2,500 adult children (aged 40-64) of individuals in the Washington Heights Inwood Columbia Aging Project; approximately  half of these individuals have a known family history of Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment (subtle changes in memory that may precede Alzheimer’s).

First, the research team will study how having a parent with Alzheimer’s interacts with one’s psychosocial and cardiometabolic factors to influence cognitive functioning. Then, Dr. Kraal and team will also conduct brain scans (magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) to study how psychosocial and cardiometabolic factors may impact biological brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s in middle-aged adults with and without a family history of Alzheimer’s.

Impact

The findings may reveal modifiable risk factors that impact an individual’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s, especially in those with a family history of the disease.