Jairo Martinez, MA

Research Interests

My primary research interest is to elucidate risk factors for developing neurodegenerative diseases within underrepresented communities. I have developed a particular interest in examining subjective cognitive decline as a means to better understand objective cognitive changes in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease.

Current Projects

Under the co-mentorship of Dr. Yakeel Quiroz of the Multicultural Alzheimer’s Prevention Program (MAPP) at Massachusetts General Hospital, I have been able to contribute to multiple culturally informed research projects. The projects include longitudinal studies like the Boston Latino Aging Study (BLAST) as well as the Harvard Aging Brain Study (HABS) which aim to identify the earliest cognitive, molecular, and functional imaging changes that may signal significant risk for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. MAPP also collaborates with the Universidad de Antioquia in Colombia on the Colombian Kindred Cohort Study of Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. Additionally, we have recently initiated a study on the impact of COVID-19 on the wellbeing and cognition of ethnically diverse older adults across the United States and Latin America. Currently, I am investigating subjective cognitive decline within the Colombian kindred as well as the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on older adults from the United States versus Latin America.

Relevant Experience

As an undergraduate student at Columbia University, I would intern during the summers with both the Harvard Aging Brain Study and Dr. Yakeel Quiroz’s lab where I was introduced to the basics of research and neuropsychology. After graduating, I worked as a clinical research coordinator for MAPP. During this time, I coordinated BLAST and assisted in the coordination of the Colombia-Boston (COLBOS) study, the COVID-19 impact study, as well as the Latino segment of HABS. Under Dr. Quiroz’s mentorship I was able to present posters on how the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test helped identify those at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease in PSEN1 E280A carriers, cardiovascular health and its relation to cognition in autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease, and sex differences within subjective cognitive decline in autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease. The latter became the subject of my first author paper which was published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society in June of 2021.

Hobbies and Interests

During my free time, I enjoy spending quality time with family and friends. I also enjoy exercising and dancing salsa, bachata, or merengue! I love the arts and am personally a fan of sketching and playing or listening to music. However, on those days when it’s preferable to stay in, I enjoy curling up with a good book or watching a movie.

Publications

Martinez, J., Pardilla-Delgado, E., Guzmán-Vélez, E., Vila-Castelar, C., Amariglio, R., Gatchel, J., . . . Quiroz, Y. (2021). Subjective Cognitive Decline and its Relation to Verbal Memory and Sex in Cognitively Unimpaired Individuals from a Colombian Cohort with Autosomal-Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 1-9. doi:10.1017/S1355617721000801

Baena, A., Bocanegra, Y., Torres, V., Vila-Castelar, C., Guzmán-Vélez, E., Fox-Fuller, J. T., Gatchel, J. R., Sánchez, J., Pluim, C. F., Ramirez-Gómez, L., Martínez, J., Pineda, D., Lopera, F., & Quiroz, Y. T. (2021). Neuroticism Is Associated with Tau Pathology in Cognitively Unimpaired Individuals with Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Alzheimer’s disease : JAD, 82(4), 1809–1822. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-210185

Babulal, G. M., Torres, V. L., Acosta, D., Agüero, C., Aguilar-Navarro, S., Amariglio, R., Ussui, J. A., Baena, A., Bocanegra, Y., Brucki, S., Bustin, J., Cabrera, D. M., Custodio, N., Diaz, M. M., Peñailillo, L. D., Franco, I., Gatchel, J. R., Garza-Naveda, A. P., González Lara, M., … Martinez J. … Quiroz, Y. T. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on the well-being and cognition of older adults living in the United States and Latin America. EClinicalMedicine, 35, 100848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100848

Schoemaker, D., Velilla-Jimenez, L., Zuluaga, Y., Baena, A., Ospina, C., Bocanegra, Y., Alvarez, S., Ochoa-Escudero, M., Guzmán-Vélez, E., Martinez, J., Lopera, F., Arboleda-Velasquez, J. F., & Quiroz, Y. T. (2021). Global Cardiovascular Risk Profile and Cerebrovascular Abnormalities in Presymptomatic Individuals with CADASIL or Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Alzheimer’s disease : JAD, 82(2), 841–853. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-210313

Bocanegra, Y., Fox-Fuller, J. T., Baena, A., Guzmán-Vélez, E., Vila-Castelar, C., Martínez, J., Torrico-Teave, H., Lopera, F., & Quiroz, Y. T. (2021). Association Between Visual Memory and In Vivo Amyloid and Tau Pathology in Preclinical Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS, 27(1), 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617720000673

Sanchez, J. S., Hanseeuw, B. J., Lopera, F., Sperling, R. A., Baena, A., Bocanegra, Y., Aguillon, D., Guzmán-Vélez, E., Pardilla-Delgado, E., Ramirez-Gomez, L., Vila-Castelar, C., Martinez, J. E., Fox-Fuller, J. T., Ramos, C., Ochoa-Escudero, M., Alvarez, S., Jacobs, H. I. L., Schultz, A. P., Gatchel, J. R., … Quiroz, Y. T. (2021). Longitudinal amyloid and tau accumulation in autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease: Findings from the Colombia-Boston (COLBOS) biomarker study. Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, 13(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-020-00765-5

Guzmán-Vélez, E., Martínez, J., Papp, K., Baena, A., Vila-Castelar, C., Artola, A., Schultz, A. P., Bocanegra, Y., Sanchez, J., Rentz, D., Tariot, P. N., Reiman, E. M., Sperling, R., Johnson, K. A., Lopera, F., & Quiroz, Y. T. (2020). Associative memory and in vivo brain pathology in asymptomatic presenilin-1 E280A carriers. Neurology, 95(10), e1312–e1321. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000010177

Artola, A., Pulsifer, M., Fox-Fuller, J.T., Ramirez, D., Londono, N., Aguirre-Acevedo, D.C., Buckley, R., Baena, A., Uquillas, F., Martinez, J.E., Arboleda-Velasquez, J.F., Chen, K., Langbaum, J., Tariot, P.N., Reiman, E.M., Lopera, F., Quiroz, Y.T. Cognitive abilities and behavioral profiles of Presenilin-1 E280A Mutation-Carrying Adolescents from the World’s Largest Autosomal-Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease Kindred. Manuscript submitted to JAMA and under review.

Fox-Fuller, J.T., Uquillas, F., Aguero, C., Jacobs, H.I.L, Torrico-Teave, H., Hampton, O., Guzmán-Vélez, E., Vila-Castelar, C., Aguirre-Acevedo, D.C., Baena, A., Artola, A., Martinez, J.E., Alvarez, S., Su, Y., Reiman, E.M., Sperling, R.A., Lopera, F., Dickerson, B.C., Johnson, K.A., Quiroz, Y.T. Cortical Thickness, Brain Pathology and Age in the Colombian Kindred with Autosomal-Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. Manuscript submitted to Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring and under review.

Posters and Presentations

Martinez, J.E., Babulal, G. M., Torres, V. L., Acosta, D., Agüero, C., Aguilar-Navarro, S., Amariglio, R., Ussui, J. A., Baena, A., Bocanegra, Y., Brucki, S., Bustin, J., Cabrera, D. M., Custodio, N., Diaz, M. M., Peñailillo, L. D., Franco, I., Gatchel, J. R., Garza-Naveda, A. P., González Lara, M., … Quiroz, Y. T. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on the well-being and cognition of older adults living in the United States and Latin America. Poster presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, Denver, Colorado, July 26th-30th, 2021.

Sanchez, J.S., Martinez, J.E., Rubinstein, Z.B., Baena, A.Y., Vila-Castelar, C., Fox-Fuller, J.T., Gatchel, J.R., Ramirez-Gomez, L.A., Aduen, P., Guzman-Velez, E., Pluim, C.F., Jacobs, H.I.L., Sperling, R.A., Johnson, K.A., Lopera, F., Quiroz, Y.T. Amygdala tau pathology in preclinical autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease. Poster presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, Denver, Colorado, July 26th-30th, 2021.

Muñiz, M.C., Martinez, J.E., Vila-Castelar, C., Pruzin, J.J., Ramirez-Gomez, L., Scott, M.R., Properzi, M.J., Kirn, D., Rentz, D.M., Sperling, R.A., Quiroz, Y.T. Evaluating pre-screening tools for older Latino recruitment into preclinical Alzheimer’s disease studies. Poster to be presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, July 27th—31st, 2020

Quiroz, Y.T., Vila-Castelar, C., Muñiz, M.C., Martinez, J.E., Pruzin, J.J., Ramirez-Gomez, L., Scott, M.R., Properzi, M.J., Kirn, D., Gatchel, J., Amariglio, R.E., Rentz, D.M., Johnson, K., Sperling, R.A. Differences in clinical, cognitive and neuroimaging measures in clinically normal older Latinos and Caucasians from the Harvard Aging Brain Study. Poster to be presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, July 27th—31st, 2020

Martinez, J.E, Pardilla-Delgado, E., Guzmán-Velez, E., Vila-Castelar, C., Aguirre-Acevedo, D. C., Bocanegra, Y., Baena, A., Henao, E., Tirado, V., Muñoz, C., Giraldo, M., Lopera, F., Quiroz, Y.T. Subjective cognitive complaints and their relation to episodic memory and sex in a Colombian cohort with autosomal-dominant Alzheimer’s disease. Poster presented at the International Neuropsychology Society Conference, Denver, Colorado, February 5th-8th, 2020.

Martinez, J.E., Guzmán-Velez, E., Norton, D.J, Baena, A., Pardilla-Delgado, E., Vila-Castelar, C., Fuller, J., Artola, A., Chen, K., Lopera, F., Sperling, R., Reiman, E., Johnson, K.A., Quiroz, Y.T. Cardiovascular health and its relationship to cognition and markers of pathology in Autosomal-dominant Alzheimer’s disease. Poster presented at the Latinos and Alzheimer’s disease Symposium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 26th-27th, 2019.

Guzmán-Vélez, E., Martinez, J.E., Norton, D.J., Baena, A., Padilla-Delgado, E., Vila-Castelar, C., Fuller, J., Artola, A., Chen, K., Lopera, F., Sperling, R., Reiman, E., Johnson, K.A., Quiroz, Y.T. Relation of cardiovascular risk factors to markers of pathology and memory in autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease: Findings from the COLBOS Project. Poster presented at the Human Amyloid Imaging Conference, Miami, Florida, January 16th—18th, 2019

Martinez, J., Papp, K., Guzmán-Velez, E., Baena, A., Torres, V., Lopera, F., Quiroz, Y.T. Performance On the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test is Associated with Markers of Brain Pathology in Preclinical Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. Poster presented at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, Phoenix, Arizona, November 1st—4th, 2017

Quiroz, Y.T., Pulsifer M., Chen, K., Ramirez, D., Londono, N., Arboleda-Velasquez, J.F., Martinez, J., Chen, Y., Guzman-Velez, E., Norton, D., Langbaum, J.B., Tariot, P.N., Reiman, E.M., Lopera, F. Cognitive Vulnerabilities in Children Carrying an Autosomal-Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease Causative Mutation in Presenilin 1. Oral presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference Annual Meeting, London, UK. July 14th—20th, 2017