# Risk and resilience mechanisms underlying race disparities in ADRD: An examination of neighborhood resources, social networks, brain integrity, and cognition

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2022 · $128,520

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Racial disparities in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are apparent and
pervasive. However, the mechanisms and moderators are understudied. These disparities may, in
part, be due to racial differences in available neighborhood resources such as parks and senior
centers. The presence of these resources may contribute to brain and cognitive health in older
adulthood. Furthermore, the impact of living in an under-resourced neighborhood may be buffered by
individuals' social networks. This study's overall goal is to clarify risk and resilience mechanisms
underlying race disparities in ADRD by: 1) Determining whether racial differences in neighborhood
resources contribute to racial disparities in cognitive function; 2) Examining the moderating role of
social networks in the association between neighborhood resources and cognition; 3) Characterizing
the role of brain integrity in associations between neighborhood resources and cognition. The
research plan will leverage primary data collection efforts of the Michigan Cognitive Aging Project,
which is a regionally-representative cohort study of older adults in Southeastern Michigan.
 This K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award application will also facilitate the
training and professional development of a junior scientist with existing expertise in direct clinical care
to accelerate the applicant's trajectory towards ADRD research independence. The applicant will be
supported by a strong mentorship team with primary mentors at the University of Michigan's Institute
for Social Research and Department of Psychology. Together, the mentorship and advisory team will
provide expertise in cognitive aging, neuroimaging, ADRD race disparities, and social networks. The
training plan will help: a) expand the applicant's substantive knowledge of the built environment,
social networks, and the neuroanatomy underlying cognitive aging; b) improve the applicant's
statistical methodological skills, particularly those pertaining to geospatial analysis, causal inference,
latent variable modeling, pooling datasets, and operationalizing cognitive reserve/resilience; c)
develop the applicant's expertise in the recruitment and retention of older racial and ethnic minority
participants in longitudinal research; and d) enhance the applicant's grant writing skills.
 The proposed research directly addresses Goals D and F of the NIA Strategic Directions for
Research on Aging, which calls for more research on 1) contexts influencing mechanisms underlying
cognitive and brain aging and 2) understanding health disparities among older adults. Our findings
will have the potential to contextualize individual differences in ADRDs to inform interventions to
mitigate persistent racial inequalities in ADRDs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10471920
- **Project number:** 5K01AG073588-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Ketlyne Sol
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $128,520
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10471920

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10471920, Risk and resilience mechanisms underlying race disparities in ADRD: An examination of neighborhood resources, social networks, brain integrity, and cognition (5K01AG073588-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10471920. Licensed CC0.

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