Brain health and dementia risk in Arab American older adults
Brain Health and Ethnic Disparities in ADRD Risk: The Case of Arab Americans
This project looks at how immigration, cultural experiences, genes, brain scans, and blood markers relate to brain health and dementia risk in Arab American adults aged 65 and older.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11303250 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will collect medical history and information about your immigration and cultural background, and they will do a brain MRI plus blood tests for Alzheimer’s markers. The project enrolls about 600 Arab American older adults from the Detroit area and includes an additional panel of nearly 300 participants to compare with non-Arab White older adults in the same region. Researchers will link social and cultural factors with brain and blood markers to see which factors relate to signs of brain aging and dementia. The work uses existing community samples and high-quality imaging and biomarker methods to better explain ethnic differences in dementia risk.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are Arab American adults aged 65 or older living in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area, with some non-Arab White older adults included as comparison participants.
Not a fit: People younger than 65, those living outside the metro-Detroit area, or those unable to undergo MRI or blood draws are unlikely to participate or directly benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help improve dementia screening, prevention, and culturally tailored care for Arab American older adults.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown higher dementia rates in Black and Hispanic groups, but studies of Arab Americans are rare, so this work is relatively novel while building on established biomarker methods.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Antonucci, Toni Claudette — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Antonucci, Toni Claudette
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.