School of Medicine at UTRGV Edinburg campus Celeste Cruz / Vaquero Radio
UTRGV School of Medicine is working on finding answers to Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the Valley has among the highest rates in the nation. One in four people over 65 has Alzheimer’s in Starr County, the heart of the Valley’s dementia surge, according to the Public Health Watch platform.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at UTRGV School of Medicine and researcher for the Alzheimer’s project Jesus Melgarejo role in the research project is to focus on vascular health relation to vascular brain health.
He said the purpose of the research is to find a better understanding of Alzheimer’s disease.
“For my research interest, in the work that I’ve been doing, is to try to have a better understanding of how the dynamics of the vascular system, specifically blood pressure variations in blood pressure changes in blood pressure,” Melgarejo said. “But to have a better understanding of the association is with Alzheimer disease or markers of Alzheimer’s disease.”
He said the RGV is a unique location to work on Alzheimer’s research since records show it has alarming numbers on how many people have the disease. He added there are also alarming rates for hypertension and diabetes.
Melgarejo said the team involves the community into the research by having participants over the age of 40.
He said its aim is to find a way to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
“We want to implement the evidence … and the strategies that are here in the Valley to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias,” Melgarejo said. “For example, what I was talking about, hypertension or controlling cardiovascular risk factors, to bring them in, because there is solid evidence already that we have a new kind of support in the management of hypertension.”
He said Gladys Maestre is the director of the UTRGV Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research and professor of Neuroscience. Melgarejo said Maestre has been fundamental to the research.
The research project team is multidisciplinary, which means students, faculty and staff are involved. Medical students are collecting data from the research and presenting it at the UTRGV School of Medicine.
Medical students who are interested in taking on the Alzheimer’s research journey may contact the School of Medicine.
