Disorders of the Nervous System
Author: Florencia Altschuler | Email: faltschuler@udesa.edu.ar
Florencia Altschuler 1°, Matias Fraile-Vazquez 1°, Verónica Canziani 1°, Agustin Ibanez 2°, Cecilia Gonzalez-Campo 1°
1° Centro de Neurociencias Cognitivas (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés (UdeSA)
2° Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Santiago, Chile
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are experiencing a growing prevalence of dementia, surpassing rates observed in other Western regions. The etiology of these dementias is complex, influenced by cultural, socioeconomic, and genetic factors. However, our understanding primarily derives from North American and European populations, leaving gaps in knowledge regarding the neural and behavioral dimensions of dementias in LAC.
Notably, LAC populations exhibit a heightened prevalence of cerebrovascular disease (CVD), a significant marker of dementia. In this context, our study aims to elucidate the distinct contribution of CVD to two prevalent neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), within the LAC region.
We will investigate classic CVD indicators, such as white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and lacunar infarcts through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), while examining their relationship with clinical diagnosis, demographic factors (age, sex), socioeconomic status (years of education), and cognitive profiles (Mini Mental State Examination) across six Latin American countries. To establish regional specificity and identify shared patterns, we will compare our findings with a non-Latin American cohort (USA).
This research deepens our understanding of dementia’s complexities in LAC.