Loneliness and inflammatory markers as biopsychosocial pathways to AD/ADRD: Analysis of a rapidly aging segment of the US population

About This Grant

ABSTRACT Career Goal: My career goal is to become a leading independent investigator contributing rigorous social science research to understand cognitive health differences among the growing population of older immigrants in the US. With the immigrant population 65 and older expected to double to 20 million by 2050, investigating the ways modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) operate for immigrant populations is an imperative area of research. Training towards content area and methodological expertise will enable me to contribute to scholarship aimed at reducing the public burden of AD/ADRD in a growing US population. Career Development: I will undertake four training aims to enhance my knowledge and skills in (1) the biological and social pathways shaping AD/ADRD, (2) geriatric mental health and social relationships, (3) epidemiological causal inference, and (4) professional development for becoming an independent investigator. Research Project: Mexican immigrants, the largest group of immigrants in the US, are rapidly aging, but current research often aggregates US Latinos, overlooking origin- and nativity-specific social, structural, and migration-related factors that influence AD/ADRD risk. Attention to specific immigrant populations is necessary to address heterogeneity in cognitive risk factors. To address this gap, the proposed research focuses on loneliness, a risk factor for AD/ADRD that may be heightened in the older Mexican immigrant population. Using data from a nationally representative panel survey, complemented by data from a Rutgers-based cohort that collects advanced biomarkers, the proposed project uses causal inference to analyze the inter-relationship between loneliness, social relationships, inflammation, and cognition for Mexican immigrants in the US compared to non-migrants, advancing understandings of modifiable risk factors for AD/ADRD. Specific Aims: (1/K99) Determine loneliness trajectories, social relationship risk factors for loneliness, and the contribution of loneliness to cognitive functioning in the Mexican immigrant population compared to non-migrants. (2/R00) Quantify inflammation as a mediator in the loneliness-cognition pathway in the Mexican immigrant population compared to non-migrants. (3/R00) Characterize the loneliness- inflammation and loneliness-AD/ADRD relationships in the Mexican immigrant population compared to non- migrants using advanced biomarker data. Mentorship: A complementary set of accomplished experts in AD/ADRD, geriatric mental health, social networks, immigrant health, biomarker analysis, and causal inference will provide training and professional mentorship to ensure my successful transition to independent investigator. Future Directions: With the proposed training and research experience, I will have a unique combination of substantive expertise and methodological skills to become an independent scientist and submit successful R01 proposals to examine AD/ADRD social determinants among high-risk subpopulations.