Automated language analysis for Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English speakers
Official title: An automated machine learning approach to language changes in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia across Latino and English-speaking populations
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11408631 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A machine learning approach analyzes speech and language from Latino and English-speaking people to help detect Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $639,821 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG075775-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11408631 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia, and cognitively healthy controls, including Spanish-speaking Latinos and English-speaking individuals in the US.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without dementia or without willing to participate in speech tasks and follow-up assessments.
What this research studies
This project uses low-cost speech and language tests that participants will produce naturally to extract acoustic and linguistic features. The data will be analyzed with automated machine learning and deep learning methods to differentiate Alzheimer’s disease from frontotemporal dementia and to predict cognitive disruption across diverse language and socio-biological backgrounds. The study will include 2,740 participants, with groups of Spanish speakers from Latin American countries and English speakers in the US, to ensure findings are valid across languages, dialects, and demographics. Results aim to improve scalable, culturally valid screening and monitoring tools for dementia in Latino communities and beyond.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to cheaper, more accurate language-based tests for early dementia detection across diverse populations.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary studies show promise for language-based dementia markers, but this project expands to diverse languages and larger samples.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gorno Tempini, Maria Luisa — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Gorno Tempini, Maria Luisa
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Automated language analysis for Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English speakers
A low-cost, automated speech and language analysis tool is being developed to help identify Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
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Automated language analysis for Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia across Latino and English-speaking groups
A low-cost, automated language study aims to help diagnose and understand Alzheimer’s and FTD in diverse Spanish- and English-speaking communities.
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Automated language analysis to help diagnose Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English speakers
A low-cost, computer-based method analyzes speech and language to help identify Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
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Automated language analysis for Alzheimer's and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking communities
A low-cost, computer-based language analysis method is being developed to help identify Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
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Automated language analysis to detect Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking adults
A low-cost, computer-based language and speech analysis tool will help identify Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking adults.
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Automated speech and language detection for Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia in Spanish and English speakers
This project uses automated speech and language analysis to help spot signs of Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in Spanish- and English-speaking people, with special focus on Latino communities.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.