Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging (BHCIA) Research Initiative | Operating Grant

The Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging (BHCIA) Research Initiative will study the brain as it ages and help identify and reduce the risks of cognitive impairment in aging, in the hopes of improving the care and services for people who have trouble remembering, thinking clearly, learning new things, or making decisions that affect their everyday life. The BHCIA Research Initiative will also support research that aims to improve the wellbeing of the caregivers of people living with cognitive impairment and dementia.

The goal of this Funding Opportunity (FO) is to advance the understanding about risk reduction and protective factors involved in promoting cognitive health and mitigating the changes that occur in the onset and progression of cognitive impairment and dementia in aging, while considering the intersection of different factors, including the social determinants of health and other structural and systemic barriers. The intent is also to build training and mentoring capacity for the next generation of researchers in the field.

As such, CIHR is launching this FO to enable expanded research on the impacts of resilience, resistance, cognitive reserve, neuroprotection and other mechanisms on the development and progression of age-related cognitive impairment and dementia, with a focus on knowledge mobilization (KM) practices throughout the research process to increase the usefulness and uptake of findings to relevant stakeholders, including partners and knowledge users.

The influence of factors such as resilience*, resistance*, neuroprotective mechanisms, cognitive reserve*, genetics and environment on the risk for developing cognitive impairment and dementia is not well understood. The impact of these factors on the outcome of risk reduction interventions has not been addressed. Furthermore, the intersections of various aspects of diversity impacted by inequality and the social determinants of health – including socioeconomic factors, age, gender, sexual orientation, population group, Indigenous identity, disability, and language – may intersect with dementia risk and also inform risk reduction measures and their outcomes.

In addition, higher rates of dementia for Indigenous Peoples compared to non-Indigenous Peoples have been reportedFootnote1. Recognizing that First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples lived/living experiences vary, relatively little is known about the distinctions-based impacts that dementia has in Indigenous populations and/or how to provide culturally appropriate care of those impacted.

*Resilience includes the ability to maintain cognitive abilities when brain changes and pathology that are normally associated with dementia are present, whereas resistance involves the ability to avoid the age-related development of brain pathology that is generally found with dementia. Cognitive reserve mechanisms allow compensation in the face of ongoing aging and neurodegenerative processes to maintain normal cognition.

Research Areas

This FO will support will support projects relevant to its objectives in animal models of disease, human populations and/or studies that leverage existing datasets (from Canadian or international cohort studies, platforms, or databases such as the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging [CLSA]), including data from biospecimens and biomarker analysis in any of the following research areas that include, but are not limited to:

• Mechanisms underlying resilience or cognitive reserve that maintain cognitive abilities and/or mitigate risk for cognitive impairment.
• Mechanisms underlying resistance that maintain brain health in the presence of pathophysiology.
• Differing pathophysiology underlying cognitive health, such as individuals with positive β-amyloid and/or tau biomarkers but normal cognition, or individuals that revert from mild cognitive impairment to normal or near-normal cognitive function.
• Role of protective and modifiable risk factors in promoting brain health in aging, including those factors that contribute across the life course. These can include, but are not limited to, modifiable lifestyle factors, common risk factors with metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, rare diseases, other co-morbidities, sleep, inflammaging, as well as genetic factors and sex differences.
• Modifiable risk factors that can delay the onset or slow disease progression.
• Genetic risk factors underlying neurodegeneration and cognitive decline.
• Interplay between and role of genetics, epigenetics and multi-omics in brain resilience and/or cognitive reserve in aging.

In addition, within this FO there are three (3) specific funding pools dedicated to funding projects relevant to:

• Caregiving and Care Providers and/or Aging with Neurodiversity: Focusing on either:
  • Caregiving as a social determinant of healthy brain aging;
  • Effects of caregiving on brain and mental health in preservation of autonomy, aging in place, and/or in long-term care;
  • Short- and long-term health risks and benefits for caregivers of people with age-related dementia;
  • Indigenous caregiving knowledge and applications for cognitive and mental health in aging
  • Novel caregiver-focused approaches and interventions that enable aging in place for people with and without pre-existing disabilities;
  • Defining the determinants of healthy brain aging for neurodivergent people; or
  • Healthcare, community-based and/or caregiver interventions for cognitive and mental health for neurodivergent people, including prevention, diagnosis and risk management;
• Infection and inflammation: Focusing on mechanisms underlying resistance that maintain brain health in the presence of pathophysiology, including chronic inflammatory conditions, infection, or post infection sequelae; and
• Indigenous Health Research: Focusing on either:
  • Social determinants of health that impact the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples (e.g., food security/sovereignty/nutrition);
  • Indigenous caregiving knowledge and applications for cognitive and mental health in aging; or
  • Multiple comorbidities experienced by Indigenous Peoples (e.g., metabolic disorders).

Applicant Partners (if applicable): CIHR recognizes that a broad range of partners may be relevant to this opportunity and it is expected that applicant(s) describe the role of all applicant partners and how/if they will contribute to the research and research related activities. Any consideration of risk and/or conflict of interest should also be explained, as appropriate.

Funds Available

CIHR and partner(s) financial contributions for this initiative are subject to availability of funds. Should CIHR or partner(s) funding levels not be available or are decreased due to unforeseen circumstances, CIHR and partner(s) reserve the right to reduce, defer or suspend financial contributions to grants received as a result of this funding opportunity.

• The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $9M, enough to fund approximately twelve (12) grants. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate. The maximum amount per grant is $250,000 per year over three (3) years, for a total of $750,000 per grant.
• Of this $9M:
  • $5,250,000 is available to fund up to seven (7) projects in any relevant research area;
  • $2,250,000 is available to fund up to three (3) projects relevant to the Caregiving and/or Aging with Neurodiversity funding pools;
  • $750,000 is available to fund up to one (1) project relevant to the Infection and Inflammation funding pool; and
  • $750,000 is available to fund up to one (1) project relevant to the Indigenous Health Research funding pool.

Applications relevant to each pool will be funded top down in order of ranking. Remaining applications relevant to the competition will be pooled and funded in rank order.

For more information on the appropriate use of funds, refer to Allowable Costs.

The aim of this funding opportunity is to advance the understanding about mechanisms underlying changes in the brain that are involved in risk for, or mitigation of risk of, the development of age-related cognitive impairment and potential therapeutic interventions, including considerations of equity, diversity and inclusion and Indigenous Rights.

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

• Support the creation of new knowledge to improve the understanding of factors and mechanisms that impact cognitive health and resilience and reduce risk of cognitive impairment in aging.
• Catalyze and build training and mentoring capacity to foster career development of the next generation of researchers in the field.
• Foster collaboration and partnerships between stakeholders.
• Enable knowledge mobilization practices throughout the research process and increase the usefulness and uptake of research findings by relevant stakeholders, including partners and knowledge users.

Knowledge Mobilization and Dissemination
Applications must include a plan for Knowledge Mobilization (KM) and Dissemination, that will include anticipated products showcasing the main research results (e.g., infographics, toolkits, videos, policy briefs), accessibility of KM products, and EDI and Indigenous Rights considerations within the KM approach, as applicable. Meaningful engagement with knowledge user(s) throughout the research process should inform approaches to KM and KM product development to increase relevance of findings to end users. As such, applicants will be required to allocate an appropriate budget amount to support KM engagements.

Successful grantees will be expected to participate in a virtual CIHR-led KM Forum at the end of the grant that will bring together researchers, funding partners, policymakers, and other key stakeholders, including partners, people with lived/living experience (PWLE) and Indigenous Peoples/communities, as appropriate. The goal of this forum will be to share learnings and promote a dynamic learning health system on factors and mechanisms that impact cognitive health and resilience and reduce risk of cognitive impairment in aging.

Training and Career Development (Capacity-Building)
Applications must include a plan for capacity building. Interdisciplinary, inclusive, equitable and safe training and mentoring environments are encouraged to help in the development of the diverse next generation of researchers and leaders in brain health and cognitive impairment in aging.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
This FO will promote and embrace equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in research design and practices (e.g., recruitment strategies and processes, including plans for analyzing data), as appropriate, and in the research environment, including the composition of the research team, consistent with CIHR's position on EDI available in the Tri-Agency Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Refer to Additional Information for more details.

Indigenous Rights
The importance of respecting the cultures and traditions of Indigenous Peoples and ensuring a meaningful and culturally safe environment is of high importance. CIHR recognizes that First Nations, Métis and Inuit are rights-holding as First Peoples of Canada and may not consider themselves to be part of equity-seeking groups (e.g., women, racialized minorities, persons with disabilities and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities). This FO supports rights and distinctions-based approaches to Indigenous self-determination in research to reflect this position and to strengthen Indigenous health and well-being. CIHR's commitment to supporting Indigenous self-determination in health research is available in the CIHR Strategic Plan 2021–2031 and the Action Plan: Building a healthier future for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

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