Health & Aging Brain Study – Health Disparities (HABS-HD)

The long-term goal of Health & Aging Brain Study – Health Disparities (HABS-HD) is to establish population-specific informed precision medicine for novel treatment and prevention strategies as has been done in other fields. To advance this goal, we will conduct the following Projects:  Project 1) Examine the timing, sequence and trajectories of AT(N) biomarkers across diverse populations; Project 2) Examine the impact of vascular, metabolic and inflammatory factors on the timing, sequence and trajectories of AT(N) biomarkers across diverse populations; and Project 3) Examine the impact of the exposome (via neighborhood disadvantage) and sociocultural factors on the timing, sequence and trajectories of AT(N) biomarkers across diverse populations. 

To accomplish these goals and Projects, HABS-HD will continue to collect clinical, exposome, sociocultural, clinical labs, and neuropsychological data (Clinical Core), MRI and PET data (amyloid and tau) (Neuroimaging & Informatics Core) and targeted and untargeted biofluid omics data (CSF [subset] and blood; genome, proteome, exosome, metabolome; Omics Core). The Administrative Core will provide overall management while the Biostatistics Core will oversee all analyses in the Projects. The Disparities & Outreach Core will be responsible for recruitment and retention and alignment with the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework while the Development Core will train the next generation of scientists. HABS-HD will continue 24-month visits of Mexican Americans (n=1000), Non-Hispanic Whites (n=1,000) and African Americans (n=1,000) (ages 50-90+ years old) and recruit an additional 1,500 participants (n=500 per racial/ethnic group) ages 30-49 for a more comprehensive examination of AD/ADRDs biomarkers across adulthood.

Overall Goals: 

Goal 1: Collect imaging, clinical, biological and genetic data which will result in the largest longitudinal cohort of diverse populations that examines AT(N) biomarkers. 

Goal 2: Collect life-course neighborhood disadvantage (via the Area Deprivation Index), as well as sociocultural data and examine how these factors affect the timing, sequence and trajectories of AT(N) biomarkers among diverse populations.

Goal 3: Disseminate HABS-HD data and samples to the global scientific community. HABS-HD data will be made available via LONI while biofluid samples will be made available through the HABS-HD Omics Core.

Genotyping and whole genome sequencing data from 1,500 Health and Aging Brain Study – Health Disparities participants. Genotyping was conducted in the Genomics Core Laboratory in the Institute for Translational Research at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, under the direction of Drs. Robert Barber and Nicole Phillips. Whole genome sequence data were generated by the Uniformed Services University, under the direction of Dr. Clifton Dalgard.