Profile: Mario Gil, PhD

Role of AVPR1A gene in psychosocial stress, cognitive performance, and health outcomes in older Hispanics/Latinos

Alzheimer's Disease (AD), a leading cause of dementia, affects millions of people across the globe; and it is estimated that 40 million people have dementia worldwide, a figure that is expected to double every 20 years, until the year 2050. Disruption of cognitive function that is associated with AD and related dementias (ADRD) has a devastating effect on an individual's daily life activities. The burden of ADRD care and management is particularly problematic for underserved minority groups, such as Hispanic/Latinos that are underrepresented in clinical trials, which compounds the problem and leads to a severe lack of information about the relationship between psychosocial stress, ADRD, and minority health outcomes. Thus, a major priority of this proposal is to conduct translational research that focuses on Hispanic/Latino health.

Our research group has studied the neurobiology of social behavior and social stressors extensively, and we have identified arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and its main receptor, the V1A receptor (AVPR1A), as comprising a hormone pathway in the midbrain that is sensitive to and appear to regulate responses to psychosocial stressors. 

There is growing evidence that psychosocial stressors increase heart disease risk, and exploring the relationship between these stressors and ADRD warrants further investigation.