Impact of Chronic Conditions and Dementia in Rural West Texas: A Healthy Aging Study

Article type: Review Article

Authors: Morton, Hallie^{a; 1} | Basu, Tanisha^{a; 1} | Bose, Chhanda^a | Reddy, P. Hemachandra^{a; b; c; d; e; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA | [b] Neuroscience & Pharmacology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA | [c] Neurology, Departments of School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA | [d] Public Health Department of Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA | [e] Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, School Health Professions, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: P. Hemachandra Reddy, PhD, Professor of Internal Medicine, Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Neuroscience & Pharmacology, Neurology, Public Health and School of Health Professions, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 3601 4th Street, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA. E-mail: [email protected].

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating illness in elderly individuals, that currently has no known cure. Causal genetic factors only account for 1-2% of AD patients. However, other causal factors are still unknown for a majority of AD patients. Currently, multiple factors are implicated in late-onset AD, including unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, traumatic brain injury, chronic conditions, epigenetic factors, and environmental exposures. Although clinical symptoms of dementia are common to all races and ethnic groups, conditions that lead to dementia are different in terms of lifestyle, genetic profile, and socio-economic conditions. Increasing evidence also suggests that some elderly individuals age without cognitive impairments in their 60–90s as seen in rural West Texas, while some individuals progress with chronic conditions and cognitive impairments into their 60s. To understand these discriminations, we assessed current literature on demographic features of health in rural West Texas. This paper also outlines our initiated clinical study with a purpose of understanding the factors that allow some individuals to live without cognitive impairments at the age of 60–90 years, whereas others develop deficits in cognitive function around or above 60 years. Our ongoing study hopes to determine the factors that delay aging in some individuals by investigating various aspects including genetics, epigenetics, ethnicity, biology, culture, and lifestyle. This will be achieved by gathering information about participants’ ethnographic profiles, cognitive assessments, blood-profiles, brain scans, and blood-based genomic analyses in relation to lifestyle. The outcomes of our study will provide insights into healthy aging in rural West Texas.

Keywords: Aging, Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive dysfunction, lifestyle, rural health

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-220084

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 87, no. 1, pp. 33-49, 2022