The landscape of dementia research, diagnosis, treatment, and care in Latin America.
Claudia K Suemoto, Nilton Custodio, Diego Aguilar, José A Avila-Funes, Sandra Baez, Pablo M Bagnati, Lisa L Barnes, Sonia M D Brucki, Ismael L Calandri, Paulo Caramelli, Mario Cornejo-Olivas, Carolina Delgado Derio, Sergio T Ferreira, Adolfo M García, Lea T Grinberg, Agustin M Ibanez, Rosario Isasi, Sylvia E Josephy-Hernández, Maria Lazo Porras, Jorge J Llibre-Guerra, Juan J Llibre-Rodriguez, Mychael V Lourenco, B Marcela Mar Meza, Joaquin Migeot, J Jaime Miranda, Claudia Miranda-Castillo, Catherine J Mummery, José F Parodi, Natalia Pozo Castro, Rosa María Salinas Contreras, Hernando Santamaría-García, Andrea Slachevsky, Juliana N Souza-Talarico, Ezequiel I Surace, Leonel T Takada, Elena Tsoy, Martha Unaucho Pilalumbo, Eduardo R Zimmer, Igor C Fontana, Simin Mahinrad, Heather M Snyder, Maria C Carrillo
Journal: Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association
2026;22(3):e71309
PMID: 41894159
Abstract
Latin America is undergoing rapid population aging alongside a rising burden of dementia. While the region holds substantial potential for dementia risk reduction, challenges remain, such as delayed diagnoses, limited access to specialized care and biomarker testing, persistent stigma, and deep-rooted structural inequities. To address these gaps and foster regionally informed solutions, the Alzheimer's Association convened the 2025 Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) Satellite Symposium in Lima, Peru, on May 14-15, in collaboration with the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) and the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health. The meeting aimed to bring core elements of the global AAIC meeting to regional Latin American settings, recognizing that national and cultural contexts demand tailored approaches to dementia prevention, risk reduction, treatment and care all aimed at promoting brain health in the region. This manuscript synthesizes the symposium's key discussions, scientific advances, and opportunities for collaboration across the region.
© 2026 The Author(s). Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.
Address:
Division of Geriatrics, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.; Unidad de Investigación de Deterioro Cognitivo y Prevención de Demencia, Instituto Peruano de Neurociencias, Lima, Peru.; Alzheimer's Disease International, London, UK.; Dirección de Enseñanza, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico.; Univ. Bordeaux, Inserm, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, Bordeaux, France.; Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.; Department of Cognitive Neurology, Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology, Fleni Neurological Research Institute, Buenos Aires, Argentina.; Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.; Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Unit, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.; Department of Cognitive Neurology, Fleni, Buenos Aires, Argentina.; Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.; Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Unit, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.; Neurogenetics Working Group, Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Lima, Peru.; Neurogenetics Research Center, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima, Peru.; Departamento de Neurología y neurocirugía, Unidad Cerebro saludable, Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.; Departamento de Neurociencias, Facultad de medicina Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.; Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina.; Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.; GBHI, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.; Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.; Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.; Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina.; GBHI, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.; Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile.; Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Türkiye.; Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.; Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, Institute of Bioethics and Health Policy, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.; Hospital México, Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, San José, Costa Rica.; Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.; CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.; Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine in St.Louis, St.Louis, Missouri, USA.; Dementia Research Unit, Medical University of Havana, Havana, Cuba.; Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; Programa M-MENTE. Hospital Central Fuerza Aerea del Perú, Lima, Perú.; Coordinadora curso psico-geriatría. Maestría en Geriatría y Gerontología Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú.; GBHI, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.; Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile.; CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.; Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.; Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud, Faculty of Nursing, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile.; Millennium Institute for Care Research, Santiago, Chile.; Dementia Research Centre, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.; Universidad de San Martín de Porres, Facultad de Medicina, Centro de Investigación del Envejecimiento, Lima, Perú.; Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.; GBHI, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.; Neurology and Neurosurgery Department, School of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.; Neurology and Neurosurgery Department, Hospital Clínico San Borja Arriarán, Santiago, Chile.; National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery Manuel Velasco Suarez, Mexico city, México.; Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.; GBHI, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.; Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, PhD Program of Neuroscience, Bogotá, Colombia.; Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Centro de Memoria y Cognición, Intellectus, Bogotá, Colombia.; Gerosciences Center for Brain Health and Metabolism (GERO), Santiago, Chile.; Memory and Neuropsychiatric Center (CMYN) Neurology Department, Hospital del Salvador & Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile.; Neuropsychology and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (LANNEC), Physiopathology Department - Institute of Biomedical Science, Neuroscience and East Neuroscience Departments, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.; Neurology and Psychiatry Department, Clínica Alemana-University Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile.; College of Nursing, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.; Laboratorio de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Instituto de Neurociencias-Fleni-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.; Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Unit, Hospital das Clinicas, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.; Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.; Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.; Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.; Hospital Isidro Ayora Loja, , Ecuador.; Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, Brazil.; Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, , Brazil.; Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Biochemistry; Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, , Brazil.; UK Dementia Trials Network, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.; Alzheimer's Association, Chicago, Illinois, USA.