At the same time, our overall population is aging.<\/p>\n
Nearly one in four Americans will be 65 and older by 2060 and the number of people 85 and older will triple<\/a>. Without research and drug breakthroughs, the number of Americans with Alzheimer\u2019s is expected to rise from 7.2 million today to nearly 14 million<\/a> in 2060.<\/p>\n Researchers with UT San Antonio\u2019s Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer\u2019s and Neurodegenerative Diseases are seeking to answer some of the questions that orbit this entangled mess, and for the first time bringing new treatments and genetic research to an excluded demographic.<\/p>\n A mosaic of risk<\/p>\n Counties along the Texas-Mexico border, including several in and around the Lower Rio Grande Valley, have some of the highest rates<\/a> of Alzheimer\u2019s among those 65 and older in the country. Similar rates can be found in other counties with significant Hispanic populations, like in South Florida and California.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hispanic people are 1.5 times more likely<\/a> to develop Alzheimer\u2019s compared to non-Hispanic white people. Despite increased prevalence in the population, Hispanic Americans are heavily understudied when it comes to neurodegenerative diseases, accounting for 2% of participants<\/a> in clinical trials, according to a 2019 systemic review<\/a> of dementia studies.<\/p>\n \u201cMany of the initial studies on genetics and many of these other approaches to try to understand brain function were focused primarily on white, relatively wealthy people,\u201d said Dr. Gabriel de Erausquin, a genetics and neurology researcher who also directs the Biggs Institute\u2019s Laboratory of Brain Development, Modulation and Repair. \u201cIt became quite evident \u2026 that the processes were not necessarily identical in other ethnic groups, and that the genetic variation that you see in white people is actually a tiny fraction of what we see in the overall population.\u201d<\/p>\n It was \u201ca self-defeating approach,\u201d de Erausquin said, to rely on such limited sampling to get a broad picture of how thousands of genes interact and contribute to the disease.<\/p>\n Additionally, whenever researchers first set out to understand how our genes influence our dementia risk, they approached the question with the notion that Alzheimer\u2019s and other neurodegenerative diseases could be traced back to one single gene, such as Huntington\u2019s Disease, a debilitating, inherited disorder caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene.<\/p>\n But today, \u201cwe understand genetic risk as a mosaic of multiple small variations that contribute \u2014 some bigger, some smaller \u2014 variable degrees of risk that create a picture that is somewhat individual for each patient,\u201d de Erausquin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the more well-known and researched genes associated with increased Alzheimer\u2019s risk is the APOE4 gene variant<\/a>, which helps make a protein that carries cholesterol and other fats within the bloodstream. But there\u2019s still much that isn\u2019t understood about the protective effects of other genes and how it all comes together to create a mosaic of risk, as de Erausquin put it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe picture gets more and more complicated the more we know about it,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s very complex\u2019<\/p>\n During a tour of UT San Antonio\u2019s new Center for Brain Health<\/a> in November, Texas Sen. Jos\u00e9 Men\u00e9ndez (D-San Antonio) probed researchers on what he could do to reduce his risk of Alzheimer\u2019s, which he said runs in his family.<\/p>\n Eating a balanced diet with fresh fruits and vegetables, social engagement, controlling blood pressure, exercise, consistent sleep and good sleep hygiene<\/a>, one researcher responded. \u201cAny other questions?\u201d a tour guide asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cToo many,\u201d Men\u00e9ndez said. \u201cI don\u2019t even know what sleep hygiene is.\u201d<\/p>\n The degree to which our environments and lifestyles influence our chances of developing dementia are, like everything else so far, not too clear, since it\u2019s difficult to isolate any of these variables and take away straightforward conclusions.<\/p>\n \u201cIt also has become an interpretation challenge,\u201d de Erausquin said. \u201cIt\u2019s very, very hard to synthesize the results of these very large studies, and it\u2019s very complex to try to understand what they mean.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, researchers have identified a number of factors that are associated with increased risk of Alzheimer\u2019s disease and related dementias: smoking, alcohol consumption, poor sleep, a history of head injuries (especially traumatic brain injuries<\/a>), elevated blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n Scientists are also drawing connections between the disease and less obvious factors, like gum disease<\/a>, hearing loss<\/a>, air pollution<\/a> and even COVID-19 infections<\/a>.<\/p>\n South Texas faces higher rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes, something all the researchers point to as likely playing a role in the elevated rates of Alzheimer\u2019s, even if it\u2019s not the only cause.<\/p>\n De Erausquin pointed out that gum disease is also experienced at higher rates in the region, as is exposure to pesticides<\/a>, especially in the the heavily agricultural Rio Grande Valley region.<\/p>\n Moving forward<\/p>\n There are many reasons to be optimistic about the university\u2019s ability to answer some of the most pressing unknowns in Alzheimer\u2019s research. But there\u2019s plenty of work ahead.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are addressing some of those questions, but \u2026 that is very ambitious and broad portfolio that would require millions upon millions of dollars to address,\u201d de Erausquin said. <\/p>\n In November, Texas voters approved<\/a> creating a Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas along with $3 billion in funding for the institute to advance dementia research in the state, which researchers say will also help bring talent<\/a> to the region. The measure passed by a wide margin.<\/p>\n DPRIT is currently held up in court<\/a> after a group of voters brought a lawsuit against the Texas Secretary of State\u2019s Office, claiming that voting machines used in November\u2019s election are faulty, though they didn\u2019t challenge the other 16 propositions that passed.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Antonio is also home to the South Texas Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Center<\/a>, one of 37 Alzheimer\u2019s research centers funded by the National Institute on Aging, and the one with the largest Hispanic population, Seshadri said.<\/p>\n Also in November, the university completed construction on its $100 million Center for Brain Health, which \u200b\u200bbrings the university\u2019s neurological specialists, therapies, diagnostics, support groups and research all under one roof.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the center\u2019s grand opening, Ann Biggs,\u00a0a philanthropist and widow of Glenn Biggs, the San Antonio business leader and the institute\u2019s namesake, expressed confidence in researchers uncovering missing links in Alzheimer\u2019s. She even hinted at a potential Nobel Prize down the line.<\/p>\n Novel treatments for Alzheimer\u2019s approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration\u2014 the drugs Lecanemab<\/a> and Donanemab<\/a>, both administered via IV infusions \u2014 will also be administered at the new center to more than 100 patients initially, allowing researchers to gauge how well the drugs combat the disease in the Hispanic population. By clearing specific plaque and protein buildup in the brain, the drugs are thought to slow the progression of Alzheimer\u2019s if administered early enough in the disease\u2019s progression.<\/p>\n \u201cNow we are being studied,\u201d Cavazos said. \u201cWe\u2019re bringing a particular number of understudied populations to the national discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Sudha Seshadri, founding director of the Bigg\u2019s Institute, said that important answers could be hidden in populations that we simply haven\u2019t studied.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible that \u201cthe only reason we haven\u2019t found [treatments] is because we haven\u2019t looked in this group earlier,\u201d she said. \u201cNature sets up solutions, and we have to uncover them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The mash-up of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that contribute to Alzheimer\u2019s disease \u2014 the most common form…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":103854,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9063,22726,21588,9065,82,84,83,92,46990,3438,3440],"class_list":{"0":"post-103853","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-alzheimers-disease","9":"tag-dementia-research","10":"tag-dprit","11":"tag-glenn-biggs-institute-for-alzheimers-and-neurodegenerative-diseases","12":"tag-san-antonio","13":"tag-san-antonio-headlines","14":"tag-san-antonio-news","15":"tag-top-story","16":"tag-type-feature","17":"tag-ut-san-antonio","18":"tag-wc-1000-1500"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/UTHealthSanAntonio_CenterForBrainHealth_AlzheimersDementiaResearch_NuerodegenerativeDisease_01_12.17.jpeg\")
Clinical neurologist doctor Jos\u00e9 Cavazos researches genetics and Alzheimer\u2019s at UT San Antonio\u2019s Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer\u2019s and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/UTHealthSanAntonio_CenterForBrainHealth_AlzheimersDementiaResearch_NuerodegenerativeDisease_02_12.17.jpeg\")
Dr. Gabriel de Erausquin is a genetics and neurology researcher and director for the Biggs Institute\u2019s Laboratory of Brain Development, Modulation and Repair at UT San Antonio. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/UTHealth_BrainHealthCenter_AlzheimersDementia_NuerodegenerativeDieseases_25_11.12.2025_AmberEsparza..jpeg\")
Visitors tour the second floor of the new UT Health San Antonio Center for Brain Health which houses the Bill and Rebecca Reed Center for Precision Therapies and Supportive Care after a celebration ceremony on Nov. 13, 2025. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/UTHealth_BrainHealthCenter_AlzheimersDementia_NuerodegenerativeDieseases_10_11.12.2025_AmberEsparza..jpeg\")
Ann Biggs, a philanthropist and widow of Glenn Biggs, speaks during the opening celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony for UT Health\u2019s new Center for Brain Health on Nov. 13, 2025. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n