# India ENIGMA Initiative for Global Aging & Mental Health

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2022 · $568,893

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Our revised proposal launches the India ENIGMA Initiative for Global Aging & Mental Health - a globally
coordinated study of brain aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD), created response to the NIH FOA: Global Brain
and Nervous System Disorders Research Across the Lifespan (R01; PAR-18-834;
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-18-835.html). Our overall goal is to identify predictive
markers in the blood, genome, and epigenome that influence brain aging in India, to better understand
prognosis, and to support personalized risk evaluations on each continent. We plan to identify
etiological pathways to resilience using the rich biobanking strategy developed by our partners at NIMHANS
in India. To do this, we will leverage our global consortium, ENIGMA (http://enigma.ini.usc.edu), to partner with
dementia research pioneers in India, creating new links between international biobanks, and building research
capacity. By 2020, 70% of the world's population over age 60 will live in developing countries, with 14% in India
(Mathuranath 2012). Recently, attention has been drawn to a “diversity” crisis in brain research, as most brain
research is conducted in Caucasian populations from relatively wealthy backgrounds (LeWinn 2017). This lack
of ethnic diversity means that: (1) we do not know if predictors of health (and disease) generalize to other ethnic
groups, and (2) we fail to collect vital data that could teach us how AD progresses in populations with different
genetic and environmental backgrounds. Our coordinated analyses in US/EU and Indian biobanks will help
identify brain aging predictors specific to India and those that are universal. Specifically, we will: Aim 1. Create
Lifespan Charts of brain aging Trajectories in India using MRI, DWI and Resting State Functional MRI. Aim 2.
Identify Blood and Epigenetic Markers that Predict Brain Aging and AD in India. Aim 3. Using a combination of
multimodal imaging, blood markers, and clinical data to predict clinical decline in India. We test structural
equation models that hypothesize how brain aging depends on lifestyle and psychosocial factors (diet, family
support, drug abuse, literacy, sleep, and depression), as well as sex, education, and AD genetic risk. With novel
machine learning methods, will analyze blood markers and plasma proteomic analytes, to define processes that
are harmful to brain aging. In Capacity Building Aims, we will leverage ENIGMA's successful strategies to train
emerging and established scientists in India to analyze their data with high quality control and precision, with
targeted biostatistical and imaging workshops to bolster capacity. This collaborative India-US initiative will
enable future science initiatives, and equip the NIMHANS team with the necessary tools to train new scientists
and independently conduct high impact research bridging efforts into numerous international partnerships.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10187479
- **Project number:** 5R01AG060610-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** VENKATASUBRAMANIAN GANESAN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $568,893
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10187479

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10187479, India ENIGMA Initiative for Global Aging & Mental Health (5R01AG060610-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10187479. Licensed CC0.

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