# Better memory with literacy acquisition later in life: a randomized controlled trial

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $170,093

## Abstract

Abstract
Dementia is epidemic with a projected cost of $1.2 trillion by 2050. Currently, 2/3 of people with dementia live in
low and middle-income countries (LMIC). 30% of dementia cases are preventable by modifying risk factors such
as low education. Formal education acquired early in life protects against dementia, but whether acquiring
education later in life can decrease dementia risk is less clear. Our previous cross-sectional work conducted in
Brazil/UFMG in partnership with the USA/UCSF suggests that even few years of education might improve brain
resilience by strengthening the relationship between episodic memory and medial temporal lobe structures,
including the hippocampus (HC) and its connections. Whether acquiring education in adulthood could also
strengthen those relationships and increase hippocampal efficiency is unknown. We started a pilot one-arm
longitudinal study to determine whether a late-life literacy improves episodic memory measured by hippocampal
functional and structural connectivity. Despite the historical challenges of enrolling illiterate adults in research,
we devised a successful strategy and met the target enrollment and acquired baseline structural and functional
MRIs, demonstrating feasibility of our approach. This proposal will build on and expand the collaboration between
UFMG and UCSF to implement a two-arm, randomized controlled trial investigating the role of adult education
in improving episodic memory and enhancing hippocampal connectivity. This partnership represents a unique
opportunity to test this hypothesis given the combined expertise and resources from both centers. If successful
in showing a benefit of adult education into memory, brain structure and function, this proposal will be critical for
developing strategies to improve brain resilience and subsequently decrease dementia risk using a low-cost
intervention. Noteworthy, The proposal will also contribute to build sustainable research capacity in Brazil by
transferring the knowledge on advanced longitudinal neuroimaging analysis to UFMG. The learned techniques
will be applied in further studies about neurological conditions conducted not only in UFMG but other Brazilian
institutions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10054007
- **Project number:** 1R21AG069252-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Lea Tenenholz Grinberg
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $170,093
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10054007

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10054007, Better memory with literacy acquisition later in life: a randomized controlled trial (1R21AG069252-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10054007. Licensed CC0.

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