# Diversity Supplement: Neuropsychological Norms for Bilingual Spanish speaking Hispanic/Latinos

> **NIH NIH R01** · FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $40,672

## Abstract

Estimates from the Alzheimer's Association indicate that approximately one in ten older adults in the US
have Alzheimer's disease (AD) while 15 to 20% have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), projecting that
about a third of those will develop dementia within five years. Several variables have been associated
with delaying the onset and rate of cognitive decline in AD and have been grouped under the Cognitive
Reserve/Resilience (CR/R) theory; it postulates that complex mental activity throughout the lifetime
creates resistance to cognitive decline despite the biological risk (brain loss). Emerging evidence shows
that bilingualism may be one of these neuroprotective factors in the aging brain, but results in
bilingualism and CR/R remain inconsistent. W to analyze the contribution of bilingualism to CR/R in a
large cohort of aging Spanish/English bilinguals and Spanish monolinguals with amnestic MCI (aMCI).
To overcome limitations in previous research, we will use a longitudinal design, operational
characterization of bilingualism, refined sociocultural measures, and multimodal neuroimaging. The
current study will leverage and extend a large ongoing NIH cohort prospective study from the 1Florida
ADRC, in which Spanish/English bilingual Hispanics with aMCI are well-represented (n = 120), but
Spanish monolinguals are underrepresented although they comprise approximately 40% of foreign-born
Hispanics in the US. In the present study, we directly address this by deploying an intensive, culturally-
informed, community-engaged research approach in the Miami area to increase outreach and recruit 120
Hispanic monolinguals with aMCI. We will make the ADRC MCI bilingual and monolingual groups
ethnically equivalent and create a longitudinal data set (n=240), ensuring that we are well-powered to
determine the contribution of bilingualism to CR in the aMCI population. As co-investigators on the
1Florida ADRC, our research team is well-positioned to execute the proposed study. We will collect
neuropsychological data at years 1, 2, and 3 and neuroimaging data (MRI and DTI) at years 1 and 3. The
neuropsychological battery will include the Loewenstein-Acevedo Scale for Semantic Interference and
Learning (LASSI-L), a cognitive stress test that evaluates failure to recover from Proactive Semantic
Interference (frPSI) and is highly sensitive to subtle cognitive changes in early AD. The innovation lies in
studying the relationship between brain diffusivity measures of WM and frPSI, as measured by the
LASSI-L in combination with volumetric brain data; the use of Bilingual indexes of language proficiency
and degrees of acculturation, and levels of education. Our findings will advance our understanding of the
complex interactions between neural, environmental, and sociocultural factors and the role of
bilingualism in CR/R in AD/ADRD, paving the way for new targets for interventions and providing
fundamental insight into the role of language(s) in the aging brain.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11082842
- **Project number:** 3R01AG080468-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephen Coombes
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $40,672
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2023-02-15 → 2028-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11082842

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11082842, Diversity Supplement: Neuropsychological Norms for Bilingual Spanish speaking Hispanic/Latinos (3R01AG080468-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11082842. Licensed CC0.

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