Brain Health and Aging Research

Physical Activity and Cognitive Intervention to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease in High-Risk Underserved Elderly

(MPI: Grace X. Ma, PhD; MPI: Min Qi Wang, PhD; Co-Is: Minsun Lee, PhD; Aisha Bhimla, PhD (c))

Dementia is a clinical syndrome characterized by deficits in memory, cognitive function, and behavior, leading to loss of functional independence and decreased quality of life. In the US, dementia affects approximately 8.8% of adults aged 65 years and older. Growing literature indicates that there is a clear link between increased risk of dementia and presence of cardio-metabolic conditions, which includes risk factors such as type II diabetes, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, and coronary heart disease. Despite BMI being lower than average for most Asian Americans (AA), these cardiometabolic conditions have high prevalence within AA subgroups. However, there has been extremely limited dementia related research on Asian Americans, resulting in a large knowledge gap regarding dementia prevention and management among this population. There is strong evidence supporting the positive impact of cognitive training (CT) and physical activity interventions (PA) for preserving cognitive functioning among older adults. These interventions adopted in later life can provide substantial benefits to delaying or reversing cognitive decline. In our study, underserved elderly receive a cognitive training (CT) and/or a physical activity (PA) intervention to improve their cognitive functioning abilities.