The PranaMind Institute for Brain Welness (PIBW) is a neurotechnology research enterprise that provides accessible neurocognitive educational programs and neurotechnology services to the underserved and low-income Black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) living in Oakland, CA. Historica ly, the health care system has not addressed brain health equity for BIPOC. Instead, it has consciously or unconsciously, perpetuated brain health inequities. Brain health inequities exist today related to risk reduction, early detection, diagnosis, care, support and treatment. BIPOC, women, people with intelectual disabilities and other disabilities, as wel as people with lower socioeconomic status and lower educational attainment are disproportionately impacted.

The PIBW African American Brain Health Equity Initiative (Initiative) is an innovative community-based program to inform the 15,000 Oakland African American elders, aged 65 years and older about how to improve their brain health, what is mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and the importance of early detection and treatment of MCI. Early detection and treatment of MCI is extremely important because research shows that approximately 30% of them wi l have some degree of undiagnosed MCI. Even more importantly, MCI increases the risk of Alzheimer Disease which is the fourth major cause of death for Oakland’s African American elders. The Initiative is designed to prevent this brain health crisis by promoting brain health protective behaviors and using neurocognitive technology interventions to encourage healthy brain aging and quality of life associated with better cognitive function in older adults.

The Initiative, in co laboration with community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, city and county social service agencies, and professional organizations has launched a citywide media campaign to recruit African American elders to attend a series of community supported educational brain health workshops in their neighborhood. These scientific evidence-based research workshops wi l present information (1) about brain health; (2) to describe MCI,its symptoms and its relationship to dementia; (3) about strategies to minimize the risk of MCI and Alzheimer’s Disease; and (4) to emphasize the importance of early MCI detection and treatment.

At the conclusion of the workshop, attendees wi l be encouraged to register to receive a free brain map session to determine whether there is presence or not of MCI in their brain. Those attendees whose results show the presence of MCI wi l be asked to voluntarily take part in a research study to receive neurofeedback brain training to minimize and/or prevent MCI. An individualized neurofeedback brain training protocol is created to teach the individual how to actively train and enhance key cognitive functions such as focus, memory, and mental agility to reduce the impact MCI on their brain’s wel-being. Memory performance is of particular importance, because memory decline is the most prominent symptom in most individuals with MCI. Comparison between the pre and post brain maps wi l review brain waves patterns and areas of the brain function to determine improvement.

African Americans are poorly underrepresented in the MCI research studies used to diagnose and treat MCI. Most of the knowledge being colected about detection, diagnosis, and treatment of MCI has been driven by research that involves only predominantly non-Hispanic White populations. As a result, African Americans do not benefit. Through community outreach and engagement, the Initiative’s research goal is finding early predictors of MCI to help reduce health inequities related to MCI among Oakland’s African Americans elders. Data colected from the pre and post brain maps and neurofeedback brain training sessions wi l provide an evidence-based foundation to redefine equitable care for MCI in African American elders.