ABSTRACT
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (AD/ADRD) disproportionately affect minoritized
populations. Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, older Hispanic adults in the United States are estimated to have
a 50% increased risk of AD and are projected to bear the largest relative increase in AD/ADRD cases by 2060.
Mexican Americans not only represent the largest segment of Hispanics in the United States, but they also
experience a high burden of cardiometabolic diseases, which has the potential to increase AD/ADRD disparities
over the next decades. However, Hispanics are underrepresented in epidemiological settings and more research
is needed on this ethnic group to identify the factors contributing to AD/ADRD disparities. In this project, we
propose to re-establish an epidemiological cohort initiated in 1979 to study ethnic differences in diabetes and
cardiovascular disease. The San Antonio Heart Study enrolled 5,158 Mexican American and non-Hispanic White
adults from socioculturally diverse neighborhoods in San Antonio, Texas. Through this grant, survivors will be
invited to a new study focused on cognitive aging and AD/ADRD: The San Antonio Heart and Mind Study
(SAHMS). We will perform comprehensive assessments for cognitive function, brain MRI, amyloid and tau PET,
the measurement of blood- and CSF-based biomarkers, cardiometabolic disease, psychosocial attributes, and
sociocultural factors. Participants will also be invited to our brain donation program for further neuropathological
characterization. By leveraging the rich set of longitudinal data obtained four decades ago and newly collected
information through this grant, we have an ideal setting to better understand the role of midlife and late-life factors
contributing to AD/ADRD disparities in Mexican American older adults. Our talented multidisciplinary team offers
complementary expertise for the success of this project. Results from our study have the potential to inform
health policies aiming to prevent and delay AD/ADRD over the next decades, especially in the underserved
population of Mexican Americans.