Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and all other dementia represent a global challenge, with an estimated 50 million individuals in the world living with dementia today. In low and middle income countries (LMICs), the burden of disease often is greater, and some of these countries are projected to have some of the largest increases in dementia prevalence during the next few decades. As the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to AD and all other dementia, the Alzheimer's Association is committed to its vision of a world without dementia and recognizes the needs, challenges, and opportunities for dementia research in all parts of the world, and especially in LMICs. Currently, the Association is devoting more than $215 million in funding to nearly 600 best-of-field projects in 31 countries, including a significant number of projects that advance and support LMIC-specific research. The innovative work in LMICs is focused on addressing unmet needs or challenges associated with the many unique cultural, demographic, and economic characteristics of these countries. The Association also is expanding leading global forums such as the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC). In an effort to create new learning and participation opportunities, the Association also has been partnering with other international organizations and collaborating with local leadership to provide AAIC Satellite Symposia (AAIC SS) in LMIC regions around the world. In 2021 and beyond, the Association is committed to continuing these LMIC-focused initiatives, identifying gaps in LMIC research and resources, and enhancing collaboration and communication among researchers in these regions.
Highlights
The need for global coordinated research that will reach and benefit all communities around the world has perhaps never been greater
Since its founding in 1980, the Alzheimer’s Association has had an increasingly global focus. This focus has included a growing awareness of the needs of low-income and middleincome countries (LMICs), as well as the importance of their inclusion in the global research enterprise—an awareness initially informed in large part by the work of the 10/66 Dementia Research Group (DRG)
This research group, established in 1998 as a part of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), brought together researchers with a special focus on LMICs and succeeded in challenging the belief, prevalent in the 1990s, that dementia was relatively rare in these countries [4, 5]
Summary
The need for global coordinated research that will reach and benefit all communities around the world has perhaps never been greater. The online accessibility of the AAIC experience further enabled dementia scientists from every corner of the world to share and discuss the latest research findings, and network to build new international collaborations, with over 7,000 registered attendees from 93 LMICs. A growing focus on LMICs was evident in the many presentations that examined or highlighted issues faced by regions comprising these countries, including a plenary session led by Dr Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, a scientific leader from the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, India. The meeting convened at an auspicious time and on an optimistic note, as the first national dementia plan in a Spanish-speaking country had just been established in Mexico the previous year [6] This first AAIC satellite symposium (AAIC SS) underscored the value of ensuring the incorporation of previously neglected LMIC cohorts in international studies, in part by highlighting unique characteristics of studies across Latin American populations, including those assessing prevalence and incidence of both risk factors and dementia [23]. Such strategies are not independent, and it will be the sum of these approaches that will impact upon this goal
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