# Identifying Digital Phenotypes of Risk for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Among Hispanics/Latinos

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2022 · $788,712

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Hispanics/Latinos are at increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD)
compared to non-Hispanic Whites. While factors underlying this disparity are not well understood, increased
cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among Hispanics/Latinos is likely to be a contributory factor. Pathological
changes of ADRD begin years before clinical symptoms become evident and interventions are most likely to
confer benefit in the earliest stages of ADRD. There is a pressing need to develop tools to detect the earliest
manifestations of ADRD, particularly in Hispanics, who develop symptoms of ADRD at earlier ages, yet are
diagnosed at more advanced disease stages than other groups. A variety of behaviors show changes in the
preclinical stages of ADRD, including sleep, gait speed, and physical activity, among others. Recent innovations
in mobile technology now offer novel ways to collect, track, and analyze these behaviors passively and
unobtrusively, as a person engages in their daily life. Our preliminary work demonstrated that the application of
machine learning models to passively-collected digital health data from smartphones and wearables
differentiated persons with and without mild cognitive impairment with 85% accuracy in a primarily non-Hispanic
White sample. Guided by the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework, we propose to leverage artificial
intelligence (AI)-powered analytics and insights, coupled with readily available sensors in consumer electronics
(smartphones, wrist-worn wearables), to identify digital biomarkers of ADRD risk, with a focus on vascular
contributions to dementia, among Hispanics/Latinos. Augmenting an existing cohort study of Hispanics/Latinos
residing in Southern California, the proposed study has three principal aims: Aim 1 involves determining digital
signatures of ADRD risk among Hispanics (N=300; aged 50-70 years) using integrated passive mobile sensing
features, derived from smartphones and wrist-worn wearables, and machine learning methods. ADRD risk will
be defined by cognitive status and CVD risk burden (diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity,
smoking) and will also incorporate apolipoprotein E (APOE-ε4) and plasma-based AD biomarkers for further
classification of ADRD risk. Aim 2 investigates sex differences in digital signatures of ADRD risk and Aim 3
examines the impact of sociocultural factors (e.g., language use, acculturation) on these signatures. We will also
investigate whether changes in digital data features predict longitudinal neurocognitive change over a span of
three years in a subset of Hispanics with and without ADRD risk. Housed within a renowned research institution
at the vanguard of ADRD research and engineering innovations, the proposed study includes a multidisciplinary
team with expertise across all aspects of this cutting-edge proposal. Recognizing the value of a community-
engaged research approach, we have partnered with community s...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10475152
- **Project number:** 5R01AG070956-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Maria Marquine
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $788,712
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10475152

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10475152, Identifying Digital Phenotypes of Risk for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Among Hispanics/Latinos (5R01AG070956-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10475152. Licensed CC0.

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