# Chinese language versions of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center's Uniform Data Set version 4: a linguistic and cultural adaptation study

> **NIH NIH R01** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2024 · $1,379,878

## Abstract

Project Summary
Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD) are one of the most common
disorders in adults aged 65 or above. Older Chinese Americans have a high risk of inaccurate diagnosis or
delayed diagnosis of AD/ADRD due to the absence of culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment
batteries and normative data. The National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) developed a Mandarin
version of the Uniform Data Set (UDS) test battery for evaluation of older Chinese Americans in AD/ADRD
research. However, several important limitations have been observed for this specific battery. For example, the
translations did not include Cantonese, which together with Mandarin, is the most commonly spoken language
in the US after English and Spanish. It is important to note that Cantonese and Mandarin are significantly different
from one another in both spoken and written forms. Secondly, the test items and instructions that comprise the
overall battery were developed through verbatim translations, which are not always culturally and linguistically
relevant to the diverse older Chinese American population. Furthermore, a lack of normative data creates
barriers to accurate interpretation, diagnosis, and prognostication of AD/ADRD. The proposed study aims to
develop minimally biased Mandarin and Cantonese versions of the NACC UDS test battery, guided by the pilot
data collected for the Mandarin version of the current UDS battery (Aim 1). The team will also generate
sociodemographic-adjusted normative data using 400 older Chinese Americans with normal cognition (Aim 2)
at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS;
n=200) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF; n=200). Lastly, the team will examine if cognitive
performance correlates with corresponding neuroanatomical regions identified via brain magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) (Aim 3). 300 participants will be required for the MRI sub-study; 100 participants will come from
the 400 cognitively normal participants already enrolled in Aim 2 (from each site: n=50), while an additional 100
MCI and 100 AD/ADRD (from each site: n=50 MCI and n=50 AD/ADRD) will need to be recruited. Participants
must be primarily Mandarin/Cantonese speaking and aged 65 or above. All enrollees will undergo a dementia
evaluation at the ADRCs using the newly developed Chinese versions of the NACC UDS battery. The study PIs
(Li & Tee) have been successful in recruiting and evaluating Chinese speaking older adults at their respective
ADRCs, generating a combined sample of >600 participants. This cohort will provide a recruitment pipeline for
the proposed study. The PIs also have established relationship with stakeholders in the older Chinese
communities to assist with recruitment should it become a challenge. This novel project will provide linguistically
and culturally appropriate assessment tools for future cross-geographic studi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10901924
- **Project number:** 5R01AG083840-02
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Clara Li
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,379,878
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-15 → 2028-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10901924

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10901924, Chinese language versions of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center's Uniform Data Set version 4: a linguistic and cultural adaptation study (5R01AG083840-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10901924. Licensed CC0.

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