A groundbreaking international research initiative led by UNSW’s Center for Healthy Brain Aging (CHeBA) is revolutionizing our understanding of dementia by addressing a significant gap in global health equity.
The latest publication in the Neuroscience journal, titled “Addressing global diversity in dementia research with the COSMIC collaboration,” sheds light on how the Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC) is enhancing the inclusivity, equity, and global relevance of dementia research. Dr. Darren Lipnicki, a Research Fellow at CHeBA, spearheads this research effort, summarizing the significant findings from the COSMIC consortium.
The research reveals that dementia risk factors impact populations differently, emphasizing the need for tailored prevention strategies. By taking a global perspective, COSMIC has unearthed essential variations in the relationship between cardiovascular, lifestyle, and social factors and dementia across diverse populations. These insights can inform more effective and culturally sensitive approaches to dementia prevention.
Professor Perminder Sachdev, the leader of the COSMIC consortium and Co-Director of CHeBA, emphasizes the importance of understanding how risk factors manifest in various settings to reduce the future burden of dementia worldwide. He notes that solutions must be tailored to local realities, as strategies effective in high-income countries may not be applicable in low- and middle-income regions.
With over 60 cohort studies from 38 countries and more than 200,000 participants, COSMIC has created a robust database that allows researchers to explore the intersection of age, genetics, education, environment, and gender with dementia risk across ethnic and geographic boundaries. Recent findings have highlighted key disparities:
– Asian populations exhibit stronger effects of cardiovascular risk factors on cognitive decline compared to white populations.
– Social factors, such as family interaction and community support, offer greater protection against dementia in Asian countries.
– Variations in the impact of education, parity, and genetics on dementia risk among regional and ethnic groups.
COSMIC is also bridging critical gaps by developing risk models and diagnostic tools suitable for use in low-resource settings, fostering international capacity-building, and facilitating global data access through the Dementias Platform Australia (DPAU). This secure platform enables researchers worldwide to collaborate on COSMIC data.
As the global prevalence of dementia continues to rise, the imperative for inclusive research approaches has never been greater. COSMIC invites new cohort studies, particularly from underrepresented or low- and middle-income populations, to join the collaboration and ensure that the future of dementia research and prevention is truly global.
In conclusion, the COSMIC collaboration is leading the way in transforming dementia research by embracing global diversity and promoting health equity. By fostering international partnerships and leveraging diverse datasets, COSMIC is paving the way for more effective, culturally sensitive approaches to dementia prevention and care.
