# Examining the Role of Neighborhood Conditions, C-Reactive Protein, and Psychosocial Resiliency Factors in Cognitive Impairment among Diverse US Older Adults

> **NIH NIH U54** · XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA · 2020 · $354,999

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Recent estimates indicate that African American and Hispanic older adults have higher rates of Alzheimer’s
disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD). In regards to AD/ADRD disparities by other
social statuses, such as gender and socioeconomic status (SES), women and lower SES adults are at higher risk of
cognitive decline than their male and high SES counterparts. While previous research has aimed to identify
disparities in AD/ADRD, less is known about the underlying mechanisms that shape cognitive functioning
trajectories among socially disadvantaged older adults in the US. Therefore, additional research is needed to
disentangle the biopsychosocial pathways through which disparities in cognitive impairment may arise across
race/ethnicity, gender, and SES groups.
One determinant of AD/ADRD that may differentially contribute to cognitive decline, particularly for AA and
Hispanic adults, is neighborhood context. Previous literature has documented adverse neighborhood conditions,
including lack of cleanliness, safety, and social cohesion, are associated with worse health outcomes. Increased
chronic stress among racial/ethnic minorities induced by long-term exposure to social inequality and race-based
segregation policies is hypothesized to affect health via allostatic load. Resulting physiological dysregulation
characterized by increased systemic inflammation has been associated with increased risk for chronic conditions;
however, this mechanism has been less examined in regards to AD/ADRD development. Research examining if
stressful neighborhood contexts of older adults are associated with cognitive impairment as well as if
inflammatory biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), modulate this relationship across racial/ethnic,
gender, and socioeconomic groups will contribute to understanding of the biopsychosocial processes underlying
AD/ADRD. Additionally, examination of resiliency factors that may be protective against cognitive decline, even
among social disadvantaged adults, is needed to more fully understand variability in trajectories of AD/ADRD
across groups. Thus, such findings will be important in addressing AD/ADRD disparities.
The proposed research will utilize the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) which is a longitudinal, nationally
representative dataset of non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Black, and Mexican American US older adults to
identify how perceived neighborhood conditions (i.e., safety, cleanliness, and social cohesion) are associated
cognitive impairment across race/ethnicity, gender, and educational attainment (Aim 1). Moreover, the mediating
role of CRP will be examined to further understand if inflammation may be a biological mechanism linking
neighborhood-level stress to cognitive impairment development over time (Aim 2). Lastly, the moderating
function of resiliency factors (i.e., perceived control, mastery, social support, and healthy behaviors) on the
relationship between neighborhood per...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10123610
- **Project number:** 3U54MD007595-12S1
- **Recipient organization:** XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
- **Principal Investigator:** Gene D'Amour
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $354,999
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2009-09-24 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10123610

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10123610, Examining the Role of Neighborhood Conditions, C-Reactive Protein, and Psychosocial Resiliency Factors in Cognitive Impairment among Diverse US Older Adults (3U54MD007595-12S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10123610. Licensed CC0.

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