| University of Texas Health San Antonio | |
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| Location | San Antonio, TX, USA |
| Type | Academic Health Science Center |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Website | https://www.uthscsa.edu/ |
| Focus Areas | Alzheimer's Disease, Hispanic Health Disparities, Biomarkers, Vascular Dementia |
| Key Centers | Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's & Neurodegenerative Diseases Center for Biomedical Neuroscience $100M Center for Brain Health (opening 2025) |
University Of Texas Health San Antonio is an important component in the neurobiology of neurodegenerative diseases. This page provides detailed information about its structure, function, and role in disease processes.
UT Health San Antonio (The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio) is an academic health science center with a distinctive mission in [Alzheimer's disease--TEMP--/diseases)--FIX-- research, particularly focused on health disparities affecting Hispanic and Latino communities in South Texas. The institution is home to the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, one of only 33 NIA-designated Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers in the nation and the only one in Texas (Biggs Institute About) (Health et al., 2025).
Under the leadership of founding director Sudha Seshadri, MD, the Biggs Institute has established a nationally recognized program integrating epidemiological cohort studies (including contributions to the Framingham Heart Study), blood-based biomarker discovery, neuroimaging, and community-engaged research targeting the underserved Hispanic population of South Texas. In 2025, UT Health San Antonio opened a $100 million Center for Brain Health, significantly expanding its research and clinical capabilities (UT Health San Antonio) (Bryant et al., 2021).
Founded in 2017, the Biggs Institute was established after Glenn Biggs — a prominent San Antonio civic leader who was later diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease — partnered with UT Health San Antonio to address the region's unmet need for comprehensive dementia research and care. The institute is directed by Sudha Seshadri, MD, who was recruited from Boston University where she had served as a senior investigator in the landmark Framingham Heart Study (Biggs Institute About) (Health et al., 2025).
Key research programs include:
The HABLE study is a community-based cohort study designed to fill critical gaps in Alzheimer's research among Mexican American and non-Hispanic White adults aged 50 and older. The study has revealed significant differences in cerebral amyloid burden and neurodegeneration markers between Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic Whites, underscoring the need for ethnicity-specific diagnostic criteria and prevention strategies (O'Bryant et al., Alzheimers Dement, 2021).
Seshadri has noted that South Texas is "at the tip of the spear" when it comes to dementia among Mexican Americans, given the region's high prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and vascular risk factors — all of which elevate dementia risk (Seshadri et al., 2002).
In 2025, UT Health San Antonio opened the $100 million Center for Brain Health, which enhances the Biggs Institute and the Department of Neurology. The center features a state-of-the-art imaging suite equipped with a 7-Tesla MRI scanner and dedicated clinical spaces for treatment and rehabilitation, positioning the institution at the forefront of ultra-high-field neuroimaging research.
Recent Biggs Institute research has identified links between chronic stress, menopausal hormonal changes, and Alzheimer's Disease. A 2025 study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia found that elevated serum cortisol in post-menopausal women was associated with early amyloid deposition detected by PET imaging, suggesting a hormonal pathway for AD vulnerability (UT Health SA, Stress and AD, 2025).
| Researcher | Role | Focus Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Sudha Seshadri, MD | Founding Director, Biggs Institute | Epidemiology, Framingham Heart Study, biomarkers |
| [John H. Morrison--TEMP--/researchers)--FIX-- | Professor | Synaptic plasticity, aging |
The study of University Of Texas Health San Antonio has evolved significantly over the past decades. Research in this area has revealed important insights into the underlying mechanisms of neurodegeneration and continues to drive therapeutic development.
Historical context and key discoveries in this field have shaped our current understanding and will continue to guide future research directions.