Work

Gentrification and Cognitive Aging: Examining Neighborhood Change and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

Abstract: We examined whether neighborhood gentrification is associated with cognitive change among older adults in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA; n = 1,731). Among participants, 23% resided in continually advantaged neighborhoods, 34% in gentrified neighborhoods, and 43% in continually disadvantaged neighborhoods (2000–2010). A Global Cognitive Composite (GCC) assessed memory, processing speed, and executive function from 2010–2024. Linear mixed-effects models with inverse probability weights estimated cognitive change over 5 years. After adjustment for confounding, GCC declined most in gentrified neighborhoods (− 0.15 SD) and least in continually advantaged neighborhoods (− 0.12 SD), with intermediate decline in continually disadvantaged neighborhoods (− 0.13 SD; p = 0.06). Neighborhood-level change may not confer cognitive protection and could carry risks, even relative to persistently disadvantaged contexts.

Source: Research Square

DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9985996/v1

Authors: Yvonne L Michael, Kari Moore, Lilah M Besser, Timothy M Hughes, Reyhaneh Akbar Nejad Yazdi, Kathleen M Hayden, Jana A Hirsch

Institutions: Drexel University, University of Miami, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Wake Forest University, Trinity College Dublin

Language: English

Topic: Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Sustainable cities and communities, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Awards: The Macrovascular and Microvascular Contributions to Alzheimer's Disease: MESA VASCAD, MESA, Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Award, Characterizing health impacts of built environment features using complex data, MESA, MESA, SUBCLINICAL CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE STUDY--EBCT READING, MESA, TITLE: MULTI-ETHNIC STUDY OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS (MESA), OPTION 3. 4/1/2014 - 3/31/2015. MULTI-ETHNIC STUDY OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS (MESA) - READING CENTER, NHLBI, MESA, SUBCLINICAL CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE STUDY-ULTRASOUND, Neighborhoods and Cardiovascular Risk in a Multiethnic Cohort, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, MESA, MESA, Clinical and Translational Science Award, Subclinical Vascular Contributions to Alzheimer's Disease: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Multisite Study of AD (Renewal), Contribution of Longitudinal Neighborhood Determinants to Cognitive Health and Dementia Disparities within a Multi-Ethnic Cohort

OpenAlex ID: W7165137907

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