Project summary
The structure and function of the brain is influenced by the context of people’s lives, especially sex and gender. These influences include hormones and genes, as well as culture, social environment and personal life experiences. In turn, these factors can influence our health and successful aging.
In this project, we will examine risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in immigrant women from the horn of Africa as we aim towards a better understanding of how minority groups face aging and dementia in Canada. We will recruit at least 30 African Canadian women from the Horn of Africa who are between the ages of 50-80. Participants will be recruited for two sessions. First, we will conduct qualitative interviews to understand their lived experience of aging as an immigrant in Canada. Then, they will be invited back to the lab to participate in cognitive assessment, brain imaging, and blood draws to achieve a holistic understanding of their cognition, brain structure/function, and inflammation.
Project status
We are currently recruiting study participants who meet these criteria:
- Woman between the ages of 50 and 80
- Family origin from a country in the Horn of Africa
For information about participating, please contact Dr. Noelia Calvo at 416 978 6582 or abca.study@utoronto.ca.