NIMHANS, University Of Southern California Join Hands For India ENIGMA Initiative
The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, and the University of Southern California (USC), USA have collaborated for the India ENIGMA Initiative for Global Aging and Mental Health research. This 5-year project aims at bridging the knowledge gap around the various factors influencing the acceleration in brain aging.
Funded by a competitive research grant of Rs 21 crore from the National Institute on Aging (NIA)/National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA, the project has been approved by the Health Ministry of the Government of India and the NIMHANS Institutional Ethics Committee. The Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) consortium, headed by Dr Paul M Thompson, Director, Imaging Genetics Centre (IGC), USC, has brought together researchers who study major brain diseases, from around 40 countries.
The researchers will aim to study the factors contributing to brain aging in the Indian population that can lead to an increased risk for Alzheimer’s dementia and other related disorders.
According to a recent nationwide study, the estimated number of persons living with dementia in India is 88 Lakhs. In a person with dementia, the brain age (an estimate of the person’s age computed from brain imaging measures using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)) may be ahead of their actual age (chronological age). This research will attempt to understand the multiple factors – psychosocial, lifestyle-related, genetic, amongst others, that can contribute to this ‘brain age gap’.
To be conducted at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, the study will involve 400 participants (including healthy older adults and persons with memory impairment) who can volunteer to participate. This study includes comprehensive assessment of risk and protective factors through clinical interview, memory and cognitive tests, blood investigations and brain imaging (MRI scan). The researchers will follow up with the participants over two years to understand the contribution of these factors to the risk of developing dementia.
Sr Professor and Director of NIMHANS, Dr Pratima Murthy said, “Healthcare is moving fast towards health promotion, which is very important for common medical disorders like diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases as well as dementia and other neurological and psychiatric disorders. Insights from this study will substantially contribute towards health promotion and healthy aging in older adults.”
“Major medical breakthroughs have occurred in the past because of the generosity of participating volunteers. We hope that this study can generate critical insights for planning preventive and treatment strategies for dementia in the Indian population,” said Dr John P John, Professor of Psychiatry and Principal Investigator of this study at NIMHANS.
Dr G Venkatasubramanian, Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Principal Investigator of this study at NIMHANS said, “We expect to gain a much deeper understanding of the factors that lead to Alzheimer’s dementia through this study and request the wholehearted participation and support of patients and their families in this novel research initiative”.
The project’s launch meeting is scheduled on the 9th of February 2023, at the conference hall (4th floor), Dr MV Govindaswamy building, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, between 3 to 5 PM.
