Hope Begins Here
A Texas leader advancing research and delivering compassionate care for patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
The Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), in partnership with The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, established the South Texas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, one of 35 centers nationwide and the only one in Texas recognized as a National Institute on Aging (NIA)-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
Providing comprehensive and individualized dementia care and support for South Texas
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Laredo and El Paso have the highest rates of Alzheimer’s disease in Texas, which prompted the Biggs Institute to establish the Dementia, Geriatric & Brain Health Clinic at UT Center at Laredo. Here, UT Health San Antonio physicians Gabriel de Erausquin, MD, neurology, and Angelica Davila, MD, geriatric medicine, provide comprehensive care for residents of Laredo and the surrounding communities.
From Innovation to Impact
As Texas’ only nationally recognized Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, we are a beacon of hope dedicated to providing the best care for patients and their families based on the latest knowledge and state-of-the-art technology.
Our team of internationally recognized, multidisciplinary medical experts provide patients and their families with comprehensive and compassionate care – from testing for a diagnosis and tailoring an individualized treatment plan with access to innovative treatments, including leading-edge clinical trials.
We also connect patients and their families with educational resources and support options to ensure they receive the comprehensive and compassionate patient-centered care they deserve.
Texas Demographic Center population projections 2010-2050
Ages 85 and older are the fastest growing age group in Texas, followed by 65 to 84 age group. By 2050, these two groups will account for 8.3 million Texans.
Of the 25 U.S. counties with the highest rates of Alzheimer’s disease, 13 of them are in Texas.
“Future funding provides hope for accelerating the future of breakthrough Alzheimer’s and dementia research, improving preventive measures, and better implementation of individualized treatments and compassionate care for all Texans.”
– Sudha Seshadri, MD, DM, founding director, Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio
By The Numbers
#1
among 29 Texas institutions in National Institutes of Aging funding
(NIH Report, 2024)
Top 2.5%
worldwide for National Institutes of Health funding
(Blue Ridge Institute, 2024)
#6
among the top rising 25 institutions in North America (Nature Index, 2024)
Top 12%
of Best Global Universities
(U.S. News & World Report, 2024)
#32
national for research output
(Nature Index, 2024)
$44.1B
chief catalyst for health care and biosciences sector of the San Antonio economy, the city’s largest economic sector.
Why NOW?
- Dementia is an age-related disease, and the Texas population is aging rapidly. By 2050, there will be more than 8 million Texans over age 65.
(Source: Texas Demographic Center, population projections 2010-2050)
- Dementia research and exploring novel drug treatments to block progression has the potential to save health care costs and save lives. For this effort, statewide, coordinated action is critical.
- As a National Center for Excellence, the Biggs Institute works with academic, nonprofit and community partners to provide access to research opportunities, diagnosis and care to all parts of Texas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dementia is an overarching term that describes a collection of symptoms including a decline in thinking, reasoning or memory skills. It can also affect behavior, movement and emotions.
Dementia begins when abnormal changes in the brain lead to cell damage, and this damage interferes with the cells’ ability to communicate in certain regions of the brain. Changes in the brain caused by damage are permanent and worsen over time. Two main causes of dementia-related cell damage are beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles.
- Beta amyloid plaques build up and fill in spaces between nerve cells preventing them from communicating with one another.
- Tau tangles are when tau fibers twist up inside cells. While not fully understood, scientists believe this tangling disrupts nerve processes and causes them to die.
Determining which type of dementia a patient has can be challenging because symptoms often overlap. Physicians use a patient’s history, lab tests and reports of changes in thinking, processing and daily function to make a diagnosis. The main types of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia. Patients can also have dementia from more than one cause, called mixed dementia.
- Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60-80% of cases. Memory loss is one of the primary symptoms of the disease. The hippocampus, the brain’s center of memory and learning, is often the first area to become damaged. Most people have additional plaques and tangles as they age, but people with Alzheimer’s disease have even more of them which progress in a predictable pattern from the memory region and spreading outward.
- Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia and is caused by microscopic bleeding and blockage of blood vessels in the brain.
- Dementia with Lewy bodies includes Parkinson’s disease and other diseases and is marked by sudden changes in alertness, visual hallucinations, disordered sleep, slow movement and rigidity.
- Frontotemporal dementia describes a group of diseases that affect the frontal and temporal regions of the brain. These areas control important functions like decision-making, memory, behavior and language. This form of dementia is rare, affecting about 1% of people over the age of 65.
There is no known cure for dementia, but new treatments are being developed that slow disease progression and control symptoms. Treatment recommendations differ depending on the cause of dementia.
Two drugs have been recently approved for use in Alzheimer’s disease – donanemab and lecanemab. Both remove beta-amyloid plaque buildup in brain. This buildup leads to cognitive decline in early Alzheimer’s disease. Other drugs are showing promise for slowing symptom progression and improving patient quality of life.
Risk factors like age and genetics cannot be changed but scientists continue to explore other factors that can be modified to prevent or slow dementia progression. Some research goals are earlier and easier dementia diagnosis, better understanding of how dementia affects the brain and understanding of how it progresses.
Resources
The Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio’s multidisciplinary team is here to provide you provide you with a comprehensive treatment plan, supportive resources and access to innovative treatments.
UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing’s Caring for the Caregiver program supports family caregivers through education, research and practice. We provide education through classes and workshops for family caregivers, opportunities for socialization and clinical care to support families living with dementia.
Research at Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies aims to bring fundamental discoveries in the basic biology of aging into clinical practice. Researchers at the Barshop Institute sustain their scientific endeavors by successfully competing for funding at the national level.
