The landscape of dementia research, diagnosis, treatment, and care in Latin America
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.
Authors
- Pablo Bagnati (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2801-0537)
- Heather M. Snyder (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7665-7696)
- Simin Mahinrad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5927-7130)
- Sylvia Josephy‐Hernandez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5447-1073)
- Ezequiel Surace (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8492-9578)
- Igor C. Fontana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2640-2644)
- Rosa María Salinas Contreras
- Hernando A Santamaría‐García (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9422-3579)
- Mychael V. Lourenco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1078-0296)
- Paulo Caramelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4786-6990)
- Maria Lazo Porras
- Sérgio T. Ferreira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7160-9866)
- Diego Alonso Gómez Aguilar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1915-4758)
- Carolina Delgado Derio
- Lisa Laverne Barnes
- Marı́a C. Carrillo
- Natalia Pozo Castro
- Juan J. Llibre‐Rodriguez
- Juliana Nery Souza‐Talarico
- Andrea Slachevsky
- Catherine J. Mummery
- Adolfo M. García
- Eduardo R. Zimmer
- B. Marcela Mar Meza
- Mario Cornejo‐Olivas
- José A. Avila‐Funes
- Agustin M. Ibanez
- Claudia K. Suemoto
- Claudia Miranda‐Castillo
- Rosario Isasi
- Ismael L. Calandri
- Nilton Custodio
- Joaquin Migeot
- Jorge J. Llibre‐Guerra
- J. Jaime Miranda
- Elena Tsoy
- Leonel T. Takada
- Martha Unaucho Pilalumbo
- José F. Parodi
- Lea T. Grinberg
- Sandra Baez
- Sonia M. D. Brucki
Institutions
- Universidad de Santiago de Chile (CL)
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR)
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (BR)
- University of Iowa (US)
- Alzheimer's Association (US)
- Rush University Medical Center (US)
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (BR)
- Université de Bordeaux (FR)
- Inserm (FR)
- Universidad de Los Andes (CO)
- Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (PE)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Trinity College Dublin (IE)
- Adolfo Ibáñez University (CL)
- Universidad de San Martín de Porres (PE)
- Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (CO)
- Universidad Científica del Sur (PE)
- University of Havana (CU)
- Alzheimer Disease International (GB)
- Jacksonville College (US)
- Clínica Alemana (CL)
- Millennium Science Initiative (CL)
- Costa Rican Department of Social Security (CR)
- Istanbul Medipol University (TR)
- Universidad de Costa Rica (CR)
- University of San Andrés (AR)
- Hospital Moinhos de Vento (BR)
- Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán (MX)
- Hospital del Salvador (CL)
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (AR)
- Fundación para la Lucha contra las Enfermedades Neurológicas de la Infancia (AR)
- University of Information Science (CU)
- Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño (PE)
- D’Or Institute for Research and Education (BR)
- Universidad Andrés Bello (CL)
- Bordeaux Population Health (FR)
- Pasqual Maragall Foundation (ES)
- Amsterdam Neuroscience (NL)
- Universidad Nacional de Loja (EC)
- Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva (AR)
- UK Dementia Research Institute (GB)
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (ES)
- Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile (CL)
- Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation (US)
- Institute of Peruvian Studies (PE)
- Instituto de Neurociencia Biomédica (CL)
- Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- Mayo Clinic in Florida (US)
- Instituto de Neurología de Buenos Aires (AR)
- Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía (MX)
- Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (BR)
- Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CL)
- Hospital Universitario San Ignacio (CO)
- Global Brain Health Institute (US)
- Hospital San Borja Arriarán (CL)
- Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurológicas
- University College London (GB)
- University of Chile (CL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Alzheimer s & Dementia
- Published
- 2026-03-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71309
- Primary Topic
- Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00