UT San Antonio research is challenging long-held assumptions about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia while accelerating earlier diagnosis, discovery and more personalized care across South Texas
Alzheimer’s disease has long been associated with aging. New research from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) and its academic health center and health system, UT Health San Antonio, are challenging that assumption, revealing that younger-onset dementia may affect more people and different populations than previously recognized.
The findings, recently featured in Newsweek, highlight UT San Antonio’s growing national leadership in Alzheimer’s disease and brain health research.
UT San Antonio is at the forefront of research, shaping the landscape of Alzheimer’s and dementia science while training tomorrow’s leaders in medicine and public health.
Discovery designed to change care
UT San Antonio and its academic health center and health system’s multidisciplinary approach brings together research, clinical expertise, population science and the infrastructure needed to move discoveries toward patients. This convergence is creating opportunities to deepen understanding of dementia while advancing earlier detection, intervention and support.
For patients and their families facing Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or other neurodegenerative disorders earlier in life, that work carries particular importance. Earlier and more accurate diagnosis can open the door to emerging treatments sooner, while better understanding of disease can inform more responsive care and help preserve independence and quality of life. For caregivers, advances in research and clinical care can provide education, resources and a stronger community of support.
South Texas: a critical region for Alzheimer’s research
The urgency is especially pronounced in South Texas. Thirteen of the 25 U.S. counties with the highest rates of Alzheimer’s disease are in Texas, positioning the region as an important setting for research into the causes, consequences and disparities associated with dementia.
That regional context gives UT San Antonio an opportunity — and a responsibility — to lead and generate discovery that translates to clinical care that reflects the populations and communities it serves. Its research enterprise is uniquely positioned to connect laboratory discovery with clinical investigation and population-level insights, strengthening the potential for findings to inform care locally and contribute to the broader scientific community.
Building an integrated ecosystem for discovery and care
At the center of these efforts is the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, led by Sudha Seshadri, MD, a leading global authority on the genetics and epidemiology of stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. As Texas’s first and only National Institute on Aging-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) in South Texas, in partnership with UT Rio Grande Valley, the Biggs Institute anchors the region’s leadership in Alzheimer’s and dementia research, including clinical trials and patient care.
Next, the Center for Brain Health , which houses the Biggs Institute and the Department of Neurology, brings advanced clinical care, clinical trials and diagnostics under one roof, expanding patient access to innovative therapies. The Biggs Institute is also recognized as a Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) Association Research Center of Excellence that provides compassionate, multidisciplinary and personalized care to support patients and families navigating LBD.
Supporting this clinical and research work, the Biggs Institute Brain Bank and Biggs Institute Biorepository provide essential infrastructure for understanding how biology and environment shape the course of dementia and related diseases.
The San Antonio Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (CAPAS) builds on these strengths by focusing on population aging and social science. Led by Rebeca Wong, PhD and Fernando Riosmena, PhD, CAPAS brings together experts from across UT San Antonio and its affiliated institutes, deepening understanding of dementia’s impact across the communities we serve.
Together, these capabilities create a research-to-care continuum designed not only to understand dementia, but to change what is possible for patients and their families. For younger-onset dementia in particular, broadening the scientific lens may help researchers and clinicians recognize disease earlier, develop more precise approaches and address the needs of people whose lives can be profoundly disrupted well before traditional expectations of cognitive decline. For caregivers, advances in research and care offer new resources, education and a supportive community to navigate the challenges of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Looking ahead: Reshaping the future of brain health
UT San Antonio’s leadership in brain health is grounded in a simple but consequential premise: Discovery matters most when it can make lives better. With support from local communities, research partners, funders and policymakers, that momentum can turn today’s discoveries into tomorrow’s care.
Together, our collective action and shared vision will ensure that hope, progress and improved health outcomes are within reach for all. By keeping patients and families at the center of our everyday work, UT San Antonio is helping to transform brain health — throughout South Texas and beyond.