Automated speech and language tests for Alzheimer's and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English speakers
An automated machine learning approach to language changes in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia across Latino and English-speaking populations
This project uses automated speech and language analysis with machine learning to spot language changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
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 ID | NIH-11404658 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be asked to speak naturally while your voice is recorded so the team can extract sounds and language patterns. The project combines thousands of recordings from Spanish speakers across Latin America and English speakers in the U.S. to train machine learning tools that work across languages, dialects, and bilingual backgrounds. The goal is to create low-cost, culturally fair tools that compare to standard tests and help tell Alzheimer’s apart from frontotemporal dementia.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are Spanish-speaking Latino adults and U.S. English speakers with diagnosed or suspected Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia, as well as healthy control participants and bilingual individuals.
Not a fit: People who cannot speak, have severe hearing impairments, or whose condition does not affect language may not get direct benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide cheaper, earlier, and culturally appropriate screening and monitoring tools for dementia in Latino and English-speaking communities.
How similar studies have performed: Prior small studies of automated speech analysis have shown promise for detecting dementia, but few have been large, cross-language, or focused on Latino populations, making this approach relatively novel at scale.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- 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
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 below.