A harmonized framework for studying exceptional cognitive aging in Latin America

Abstract

Introduction: Biological, genetic, and sociocultural factors underlying cognitive resilience and resistance to pathology remain unexplored in Latin America. The Life-Course Epidemiology of Aging, Resilience, and Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's Disease (LEARN-AD) study and Latin American SuperAgers Study (LASAS) establish the first harmonized frameworks to characterize resilience and exceptional cognitive aging phenotypes in the region. Methods: The shared protocol integrates cognitive, neurological, psychosocial, and genetic data. SuperAgers are deeply phenotyped, while successful cognitive agers are identified through harmonized criteria applied to existing cohorts, ensuring regional adaptation and international comparability. Centralized training and shared procedures ensure cross-site consistency. Results: We define eligibility criteria and standardized assessments to classify successful cognitive agers and SuperAgers in Latin America and examine biological and psychosocial profiles supporting better-than-expected cognition. Discussion: LEARN-AD and LASAS represent the first Latin American infrastructure for studying cognitive resilience, resistance, and exceptional cognitive aging, which will generate unprecedented regional databases and grow into larger networks, providing foundations for research, prevention strategies, and precision approaches to promote brain health in Latin America.