The Brain Resilience Study protocol: Building a dataset of the biological and sociocultural factors affecting brain health in older adults.

Abstract

Dementia arises from a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. However, previous large-scale studies have largely focused on biomarkers and genetics, with limited attention to the social and structural determinants of health that shape diverse aging trajectories. The Brain Resilience Study (BRS) addresses this gap by integrating multimodal biological and cognitive measures with rich demographic, psychosocial, and lifestyle data to create an open resource for studying resilience to dementia. Phase 1 of the BRS will recruit 1000 + adults aged 50 years and older from the British Columbia Generations Project, a population-based cohort of nearly 30,000 participants. All participants will complete a dementia risk questionnaire, cognitive testing, sleep assessments, portable EEG, and genotyping. Sub-studies will collect further neuroimaging (MRI, MEG) from 100 participants and circadian rhythm biomarkers from 50 of these 100 participants. All measures will be linked with extensive pre-existing sociodemographic, lifestyle, occupational, and residential data from the parent cohort. The resulting dataset will uniquely enable researchers to examine how reserve, maintenance, and resilience emerge from the intersection of biological processes and social context. By capturing variables often overlooked in dementia research, the BRS provides an unprecedented opportunity to study brain health in diverse aging populations. This resource will lay the foundation for longitudinal follow-up and future computational modeling, supporting the development of early, personalized, and equitable interventions to promote brain resilience across the lifespan.