Hispanics in the United States (US) will experience the greatest increase in Alzheimer?s disease (AD) diagnoses in the next four decades. Developing neuropsychological tests that can improve accurate detection of age-related cognitive decline and early signs of AD in this population is essential for addressing this impending social and healthcare crisis. Studies with majority non-Hispanic white populations have shown that episodic autobiographical memory, which is memory for unique life events, is sensitive to normal cognitive aging and AD risk. Intriguingly, episodic autobiographical memory may be a highly culturally appropriate, and thus accurate, cognitive measure of age-related cognitive decline and AD risk for Hispanics, because it draws on real-world, ?personalized? events as opposed to more artificial and potentially culturally loaded learning contexts (e.g., word lists). However, virtually nothing is known about episodic autobiographical memory in Hispanics. Given that the majority of Hispanics in the US are bilingual, examining how episodic autobiographical memory and bilingualism are related is important as well. Therefore, the overarching goal of the proposed research is to investigate, for the first time, episodic autobiographical memory in a US sample of bilingual and monolingual Hispanics, while examining related factors that might influence memory performance. I will address this goal through three aims. Under the first aim, I ask the question ?is episodic autobiographical memory sensitive to age in US Hispanics?? With aim 2, I investigate if bilingualism is associated with episodic autobiographical memory in Hispanics. Finally, through aim 3, which is an exploratory aim, I examine whether episodic autobiographical memory in Hispanics is modulated by language at encoding / retrieval or if it is related to inhibition. My hope is that by addressing these aims, we will introduce episodic autobiographical memory testing as a novel neuropsychological approach through which to accurately capture age-related memory decline in US Hispanics, which can set the stage for further work on characterizing the cognitive profile of AD risk in this population. In line with the goal of the National Institutes of Health to enhance diversity in the biomedical workforce, the training goals for this fellowship are intended to significantly advance my goals to become a clinical neuropsychologist and independent researcher whose research and clinical practice will contribute to a better understanding of how to improve the evaluation of memory disorders and other neurodegenerative diseases in US Hispanics. In addition, through the proposed training opportunities, I anticipate that I will: 1) contribute to the development of novel neuropsychological measures that improve sensitivity to the early detection of memory disorders in Hispanics; 2) learn how to establish lasting relationships between the university, clinic, and community; 3) embrace best practice in the assessment and treatment of Hispanics; and 4) improve my skills in conducting open and reproducible science.
The proposed research aims to contribute to a better understanding of how to detect and treat memory disorders in Hispanics, given that this population will experience the biggest increase in Alzheimer?s disease diagnoses in the coming decades. This research is aligned with the National Institutes of Health?s commitment to promote equal opportunities for all populations to live longer and healthier lives. Moreover, the proposed training will enhance diversity in the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research workforce in the United States.
