The Multi-Partner Consortium to Expand Dementia Research in Latin America (ReDLat): Driving Multicentric Research and Implementation Science

Abstract

Dementia is becoming increasingly prevalent in Latin America, contrasting with stable or declining rates in North America and Europe. This scenario places unprecedented clinical, social, and economic burden upon patients, families, and health systems. The challenges prove particularly pressing for conditions with highly specific diagnostic and management demands, such as frontotemporal dementia. Here we introduce a research and networking initiative designed to tackle these ensuing hurdles, the Multi-partner consortium to expand dementia research in Latin America (ReDLat). First, we present ReDLat's regional research framework, aimed at identifying the unique genetic, social, and economic factors driving the presentation of frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Latin America relative to the US. We describe ongoing ReDLat studies in various fields and ongoing research extensions. Then, we introduce actions coordinated by ReDLat and the Latin America and Caribbean Consortium on Dementia (LAC-CD) to develop culturally appropriate diagnostic tools, regional visibility and capacity building, diplomatic coordination in local priority areas, and a knowledge-to-action framework toward a regional action plan. Together, these research and networking initiatives will help to establish strong cross-national bonds, support the implementation of regional dementia plans, enhance health systems' infrastructure, and increase translational research collaborations across the continent.

Interoception Primes Emotional Processing: Multimodal Evidence from Neurodegeneration

“…The study comprised 114 participants, reaching a power of 0.95. All were part of an ongoing multicenter protocol, which follows recommendations for similar designs ( Sedeño et al, 2017 ; Moguilner et al, 2018 , 2021 ; Bachli et al, 2020 ; Ibáñez et al, 2021a , b ). We recruited 48 HCs with no history of psychiatric or neurologic disease, 19 patients fulfilling revised criteria for bvFTD ( Rascovsky et al, 2011 ), 25 PD patients diagnosed in accordance with the United Kingdom Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank criteria ( Hughes et al, 1992 ), and 22 AD patients who fulfilled international National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke–Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria ( Dubois et al, 2007 ; McKhann et al, 2011 ).…”

Social Cognition and Behavioral Assessments Improve the Diagnosis of Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia in Older Peruvians With Low Educational Levels

“…First, the gold standard for the diagnosis of AD and bvFTD was based on clinical history, MRI brain imaging, and complete neuropsychological testing, without access to pathological, genetic, or CSF studies (recommended for the diagnosis of bvFTD) ( 6 ), which could limit the implications of our findings. However, we utilized the most sensitive brief cognitive and specialized neuropsychological tests that have been previously validated in our population at our clinic, MRI brain findings, and re-assessed the patients at 2-year follow-up to ensure that the diagnosis of bvFTD was accurate ( 44 , 78 , 79 ). These diagnostic criteria have been utilized in other studies of patients with bvFTD ( 80 , 81 ).…”

Language in Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia: Another Stone to Be Turned in Latin America

“…Future work should strongly aim to cover these gaps, mainly by acknowledging diversity as a pressing matter and encouraging the exploration of culture-specific variables in a cross-regional agenda. This could be achieved through multicentric efforts, such as those spearheaded by the Consortium to Expand Dementia Research in Latin America–ReDLat ( 95 ), offering adequate sample sizes, socio-cultural and dialectal diversity, and ecologically valid measures. In fact, ReDLat is already poised to implement classical (e.g., picture naming) and cutting-edge (e.g., automated speech analyses) tools capturing linguistic features in over 1,000 LA bvFTD patients spanning six countries, two languages (Spanish and Portuguese), and numerous dialects.…”