Studying the aging brain

As we age, many things start to get creaky and achy. Oy, our backs, our knees.

We kid, but the aging brain is a whole other matter. Dementia affects more than 6 million Americans – you might know someone who suffers from the condition or is a caregiver for a loved one with dementia.

Researchers are constantly at work trying to better understand how our brains work. But they are missing crucial data on Latinos and how they age. 

UC San Diego will help to bridge that gap, thanks to a $15.85 million federal grant. UCSD, in partnership with UC Davis, has an ambitious goal, to create “the most comprehensive long-term dataset on Hispanic and Latino brain aging to date.” 

And some of the research taking place involves San Diego residents, along with Latinos from three other U.S. cities and across the Americas and the Caribbean. With the new funding, the team is playing the long game, with a plan to monitor almost 2,000 Latino adults over a 12-year period. The study has the potential, one researcher said, to be “unique and powerful.” 

We’d also like to mention a unique character on our coast. Don Hansen, founder of Hansen Surfboards, a mainstay in Encinitas for decades, has passed. He was 89. Here’s more about this crafter of iconic boards, who was a surf champ too. 

Thoughts? Opinions? Share them with us at news@timesofsandiego.com.