Newswise — GRAND RAPIDS and SOUTHFIELD, Mich, July, 16, 2024 - Corewell Health is working with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to learn more about the multi-level risk and biopsychosocial factors that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease in Black Americans, leading to the development of effective, tailored behavioral and pharmacological interventions aimed at reducing the condition’s disparate attack.
It is important to note that study participants --- Black Americans age 55 and older with varying levels of education and no known signs of memory loss --- can contribute to this research from the comfort and privacy of their own homes using mobile devices provided by the research team.
“The objective is to identify multiple modifiable environmental and social factors of cognitive aging in older Black adults and gain a better understanding of why this group is up to two times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia,” said Stewart Graham, Ph.D, Corewell Health neuroscientist/metabolomicist and associate professor at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.
Alzheimer’s disease is the fourth leading cause of death among older Black Americans, a trend that is expected to increase exponentially over the next five to 10 years.
Using a cell phone they receive in the mail, 600 study participants will be paid to complete a cognitive assessment that includes a questionnaire and memory test comparable to an online game. They will be asked to complete additional memory tests over a seven-day period.
Additionally, during the first and fourth years of the study, participants will be asked to provide saliva and urine samples for specific biomedical measurements.
“Our goal is to deepen our understanding of the intricate interplay between racial disparities, psychological stressors, aging and memory within the Black population,” said Graham who also serves as director of Alzheimer’s Disease Research at Corewell Health’s Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. “The more we learn about how and why Alzheimer’s disease is more prevalent in Black Americans, the better equipped we are to meet the needs of all our patients. With this in mind, we are encouraging individuals within the Black community who wish to help close the racial gap related to age-related memory impairment to participate in our study.”
This first-of-its-kind, $4.8 million research project will take place over five years and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Identified as the Black American United Memory & Aging Project, the study, which started recruiting participants last September, is being conducted exclusively online.
To participate
For more information or to volunteer, visit secure.ba-umap.com.
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