Jose Carrion-Baralt (JCB) is a licensed clinical psychologist. He has previous training in genetics studies, but has limited experience in family studies of dementia and the neuropsychology of AD. His long-term goal is to develop a thorough understanding of normal and abnormal cognitive functioning patterns in elder Hispanics, with special attention to pre-clinical predictors of dementia and the role of genetic factors in this population. The final objective is to develop tools to assess the risk of developing dementia so that primary care physicians and specialists can detect the earliest signs of dementia and prescribe the appropriate treatment as soon as it is medically advisable to prolong as much as possible the productive and enjoyable life of their patients. This award will provide JCB with the necessary resources to develop knowledge and expertise in the following areas: 1) Epidemiology; 2) Family studies of dementia; 3) Advanced statistical analyses; 4) Neuropsychology; 5) AD and other dementias; 6) Geriatrics; and 7) Research dissemination and grant proposal submission for longitudinal studies of cognitive function in elder Hispanics. JCB has created a very favorable environment for conducting his research, forging collaborations with private and public agencies that serve the elderly in Puerto Rico as well as with graduate programs in medical schools that will provide logistic and academic support to this project. He also has ample experience in coordinating and conducting research studies from an off-campus location. Drs. Jeremy Silverman and Mary Sano are ideal mentors for JCB because of their world-renowned expertise in family and epidemiological studies of AD and neuropsychology of AD in Hispanic populations. The present study seeks to compare a cohort of offspring of non-demented and demented nonagenarians to assess the possible impact of genetic factors on the cognitive functioning of this cohort of young-olds. This cohort will also be an ideal sample for future longitudinal studies that will analyze the cognitive paths of demented and non-demented elder Hispanics.
| Silverman, Jeremy M; Schmeidler, James; Beeri, Michal S et al. (2012) C-reactive protein and familial risk for dementia: a phenotype for successful cognitive aging. Neurology 79:1116-23 |
| Greenwood, Tiffany A; Beeri, Michal S; Schmeidler, James et al. (2011) Heritability of cognitive functions in families of successful cognitive aging probands from the Central Valley of Costa Rica. J Alzheimers Dis 27:897-907 |
| Carrión-Baralt, José R; Suárez-Pérez, Erick; del Rio, Ricardo et al. (2010) Prevalence of dementia in Puerto Rican veterans is higher than in mainland U.S. veterans. J Am Geriatr Soc 58:798-9 |
| Carrión-Baralt, José R; Meléndez-Cabrero, Josefina; Schnaider Beeri, Michal et al. (2009) The neuropsychological performance of nondemented Puerto Rican nonagenarians. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 27:353-60 |
