# Black Men's Brain Health and Aging, Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: Life Course Perspectives

> **NIH NIH R13** · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $50,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract: The United States has invested significant resources through innovative research to address
the profound effects of Alzheimer’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) on families and
society, but Black men historically have not experienced the full benefits of scientific advances from that research. For
example, non-Hispanic Black men have diminished health and increased morbidity due to preventable diseases (e.g.,
cardiac, diabetes, high blood pressure) and shorter life expectancies than their White male counterparts Additionally, elderly
Black men are more likely to fall and sustain a TBI than whites, which increases the subsequent vulnerability of brain health
and risk of dementia. Similarly, Black American men might be at increased risk for later-life neurological disorders
associated with exposure to brain injury from contact sports participation, military service, and other sources. Although the
prevalence of AD/ADRD in Black Americans is two to three times higher than in non-Latinx White Americans, a complete
understanding of the causes of this profound health inequality remains elusive. The lack of a highly trained, multidisciplinary
scientific workforce that addresses the full range of biological, biomedical, behavioral, and health sciences approaches to
AD/ADRD health inequities research hinders innovation among this population. This problem is compounded by the
persistent under-representation of Black American males in biomedical research. During this five-year renewal conference
series, leading multidisciplinary national and international scholars will come together with emerging investigators to
address specific cultural, social, and behavioral factors that contribute to some individuals in this population being more
cognitively resilient and experience a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than others. Scholars will enhance
the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework (HDRF) with the inclusion of empirically based factors that are responsive
to the Black male experience, as well as focus on efforts to improve recruitment and retention strategies for participation
from this population in aging research. An essential feature of the conference series will be to engage community
stakeholders (e.g., NFL Alumni Association, Global Sports Institute, Black Men’s Health Clinic, Beloved Community
Services Corporation) in multiple aspects of the conference design, planning, and implementation including the selection of
scientists and clinicians, providing feedback on conference presentations, and dissemination. Planning, implementation,
participation, and evaluation of the conference will incorporate individuals from historically underrepresented groups.
The
aims of the renewal conference series are: (1) Host five multidisciplinary conferences that address knowledge gaps, and
identify future priorities in inclusion science, AD/ADRC clinical trials, cognitive reserve/resilience, ag...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11000435
- **Project number:** 2R13AG071313-04
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Maria C Carrillo
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $50,000
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2021-01-15 → 2024-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11000435

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11000435, Black Men's Brain Health and Aging, Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: Life Course Perspectives (2R13AG071313-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11000435. Licensed CC0.

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