#Argentina #Buenos Aires #Alzheimer's Association #cognitive health #LatAm-FINGERS

Improving Brain Health in Latin America

The results from the LatAm-FINGERS study confirm and expand upon findings from the U.S. POINTER trial, demonstrating that culturally tailored lifestyle interventions significantly enhance brain health among older adults at risk of dementia in Latin America.

Conducted with the support of the Alzheimer's Association, the LatAm-FINGERS initiative has revealed that two culturally adapted lifestyle interventions are effective in improving memory, cognitive function, and general thinking skills among seniors across 11 Latin American countries. The most significant improvements were observed in participants who received systematic training and support.

This groundbreaking study was presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2026 in London, emphasizing a multi-faceted approach to lifestyle intervention that includes physical activity, healthy eating, cognitive training, and social engagement. These interventions can be successfully tailored to diverse cultures, healthcare systems, and communities.

Dr. Lucia Crivelli, the principal investigator from Fleni, a neurology institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina, highlights that this is the first evidence for the successful implementation of culturally tailored lifestyle interventions in Latin America, particularly for populations often underrepresented in clinical research.

"We didn't just translate the U.S. POINTER model into Spanish or Portuguese; we adapted it to local cultures and habits while preserving its core elements to make the program practical, affordable, and feasible as a public health strategy," noted Crivelli.

The initiative involved multinational working groups that identified which components should remain standardized and which could be adapted to local customs, climate, food availability, technology access, and participant preferences. Activities like salsa and tango were incorporated into physical exercise programs, while nutritional counseling adjusted the MIND diet to include local staples like avocados, quinoa, açaí, aguaymanto, chía, and pumpkin seeds. Study materials were also culturally adapted to support participants with limited digital experience.

Moreover, LatAm-FINGERS included significant racial and ethnic diversity, along with a wide range of educational backgrounds and socioeconomic status (SES). Dr. Laura D. Baker from Wake Forest University stated that the results demonstrate that brain health can be improved across diverse communities representing various cultures and with variable access to resources.

The study analyzed a total of 1,065 participants across 12 sites in countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay. Participants were randomly allocated to one of two intervention groups that varied in structure, intensity, and support.

The first group, called Systematic Lifestyle Intervention (SLI), benefited from ongoing training and support that included supervised exercise, tailored cognitive training, dietary counseling, cardiovascular risk monitoring, and social accountability through 38 group meetings. In contrast, the second group, referred to as Flexible Lifestyle Intervention (FLI), received periodic health education and general lifestyle recommendations but lacked the ongoing support found in SLI.

After two years, participants in the SLI group experienced significantly greater cognitive improvements compared to the FLI group, with a 55% larger increase in global cognition measures. Improvements were notably observed in memory, executive function, and processing speed.

Both LatAm-FINGERS and U.S. POINTER are part of the global Fingers network, which originated from a Finnish trial that demonstrated the potential of multi-domain lifestyle interventions to protect cognitive function in older adults at risk of decline.

The Alzheimer's Association has invested over $81 million into LatAm-FINGERS and U.S. POINTER, facilitating various public brain health initiatives informed by these findings, including the recently launched (re)think your brain™ initiative that encourages healthy behaviors for brain health.

Conclusion

The substantial evidence from both LatAm-FINGERS and U.S. POINTER suggests that lifestyle interventions must be culturally relevant to maximize their effectiveness. As dementia rates rise globally, these findings underscore the urgent need for practical, accessible, and adaptable strategies to risk reduction, especially in low- and middle-income countries. By integrating multi-faceted lifestyle changes with emerging pharmacological therapies, we hold the potential to significantly mitigate cognitive decline risk and enhance overall brain health.