Uganda Aging and Dementia Cohort Study
Description: <p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-828e41a5-7fff-22eb-7d79-ebf60c771696">Alzheimer’s disease is a major cause of memory loss and dementia around the world, but most of what we know about it comes from studies in high-income countries. Little is known about how Alzheimer’s affects people in low- and middle-income countries like Uganda, where the majority of people with dementia live and where other health issues such as HIV, high blood pressure, and diabetes are common.</b></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-828e41a5-7fff-22eb-7d79-ebf60c771696">Jeremy Tanner MD, PhD, Mark Siedner MD, PhD and a multidisciplinary global team are leveraging the Uganda Aging and Dementia Cohort Study, a prospective study involving approximately 600 individuals that aims to determine the epidemiology and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in Uganda at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). Volunteers in this cohort undergo extensive risk and resilience factor assessments, clinical evaluations, and cognitive testing during the study. In addition, they complete brain imaging by MR and biological sample testing to confirm whether changes associated with Alzheimer’s and other dementia are present. The process of incorporating various biomarkers also helps identify new diagnostic tools that can be used globally. Dr. Tanner and team participate in consensus diagnostic conferences that engage early career clinicians, and the study trains early career researchers on a variety of skills needed to lead Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia studies. </b></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-828e41a5-7fff-22eb-7d79-ebf60c771696">This project will: </b></p>
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<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-828e41a5-7fff-22eb-7d79-ebf60c771696">Contribute to the understanding of the epidemiology, and the development of diagnostic tools, for Alzheimer’s and other dementias in Uganda.</b></p>
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<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-828e41a5-7fff-22eb-7d79-ebf60c771696">Expand global dementia research capacity.</b></p>
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<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><b id="docs-internal-guid-828e41a5-7fff-22eb-7d79-ebf60c771696">Provide templates on which similar studies can be completed in other lower- and middle-income countries.</b></p>
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Funder: Alzheimer's Association
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: BFDN
Start date: 2026-01-01
Investigator: Jeremy Tanner
Institution: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio)
Funded outputs count: 1
Funder award ID: 26BFDN-1579177A
OpenAlex ID: G2846986829