In a rural block of Kolar district in Karnataka, researchers have begun a long, patient effort that India has seldom attempted: following thousands of ordinary people over age 45 for at least a decade. The question underneath is an old human one, why some minds keep their clarity into old age while others lose their memories and their selves. As India's older population grows, and as dementia steals not only memory but dignity from families already stretched thin, the answers this study may eventually offer will matter far beyond the villages where it began.
Inside SANSCOG: India's Largest Dementia Study Tracks 10,000 Rural Residents Over a Decade
Over 5 million Indians live with dementia, and families face stigma, inadequate services and financial hardship.
One new case of dementia every 3.2 seconds worldwide
Mark
Why does a study in one block of Kolar district matter nationally?
Mimi
Because Indian dementia data is sparse. Researchers say they need detailed, long-term evidence from here, not figures borrowed from other countries.
Mark
What exactly are they measuring?
Mimi
Clinical, cognitive, biochemical, genetic and brain imaging measures, on 10,000 residents aged 45 and above, followed for at least ten years.
Luke
How far along is it? Ten thousand sounds settled.
Mimi
It isn't yet. Around 2,200 are recruited, and over 1,850 have finished baseline assessments. Follow-ups have just begun.
Mark
And the rural-urban finding?
Mimi
Preliminary data show urban participants have much higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity.
Luke
Careful, though. That data is unpublished and preliminary, and it says nothing yet about dementia itself. The article states plainly that the effect on dementia risk remains to be seen.
Mark
So what can families actually use today?
Mimi
Dr Sridhar points to interventions like Cognitive Simulation Therapy, being tested across India, Brazil and Tanzania.
Luke
Worth noting that the evidence for CST is described as consistent, but what's unknown is how well it works in routine care. That's what the study is testing.
Il Polso
- A condition that affects over 5 million Indians is being studied where almost no local data existed before, leaving families and doctors working largely in the dark.
- Recruitment began in 2018 and has reached roughly 2,200 participants, with the ambitious goal of 10,000 still ahead.
- Early unpublished data show rural residents carry far fewer cardiovascular risk factors than urban peers, yet no one yet knows what that means for dementia.
- Stigma, scarce trained staff and few day centres leave families under strain, and a brief group therapy is being tested to improve life for those already living with the disease.
- The decisive answers are years away, waiting on follow-up assessments that have only just begun.
In a rural block of Kolar district in Karnataka, researchers have begun a long, patient effort that India has seldom attempted: following thousands of ordinary people over age 45 for at least a decade. The question underneath is an old human one, why some minds keep their clarity into old age while others lose their memories and their selves. As India's older population grows, and as dementia steals not only memory but dignity from families already stretched thin, the answers this study may eventually offer will matter far beyond the villages where it began.
In Srinivaspura, a rural block in Kolar district, Karnataka, researchers are doing something rarely attempted in India: recruiting thousands of ordinary residents aged 45 and above for a study that will follow them for at least a decade. The goal is to learn what shields some people from dementia and what leaves others exposed.
The study, SANSCOG, is run by the Centre for Brain Research at the Indian Institute of Science, together with NIMHANS and Sri Devaraj Urs Academy in Kolar. Each participant undergoes detailed clinical, cognitive, biochemical, genetic and brain imaging assessments, and then returns for long-term follow-up. Recruitment began in 2018, with around 2,200 people enrolled so far and more than 1,850 completing baseline assessments.
The need is stark. An estimated 5.3 million Indians over 60 have dementia, a figure expected to pass 10 million by 2040. Beyond memory loss, the disease can strip away dignity, and families often face stigma, scarce services and financial hardship. Researchers say data from the developing world, India especially, is sparse, and that tracking people over time could reveal how genes and environment interact.
One early signal has emerged. Preliminary, unpublished data show that rural participants have far lower rates of hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity than their urban counterparts. Whether this will mean lower dementia risk is still unknown, and only the years of follow-up will tell. For now, the study stands as a long bet that careful patience in Srinivaspura might light the way toward prevention.
In Srinivaspura, a rural block in Kolar district, Karnataka, researchers are doing something that has rarely been done in India: recruiting thousands of ordinary residents, aged 45 and above, for a study that will follow them for at least a decade. The aim is to learn what shields some people from dementia and what exposes others to it.
The study is called SANSCOG, short for Srinivaspura Ageing, Neuro Senescence and Cognition. It is run by the Centre for Brain Research at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, together with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bangalore and Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research in Kolar. The target is 10,000 participants. Dr Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, director of the Centre for Brain Research, says each person undergoes detailed, multimodal assessments: clinical, neurocognitive, biochemical, genetic and brain imaging measurements. They are then followed up over the long term.
Recruitment began in 2018. So far there are around 2,200 participants, and more than 1,850 have completed the comprehensive baseline clinical, cognitive and biochemical assessments. Follow-up assessments have only recently started.
The scale of the problem explains the effort. Worldwide, about 50 million people have dementia, with nearly 10 million new cases every year, or one every 3.2 seconds. The Dementia in India 2020 report estimates that 5.3 million Indians above 60 have the condition this year, about one in 27 people. That figure is expected to pass 10 million by 2040. Alzheimer's is the most common type. The World Health Organisation describes dementia as a syndrome in which memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to manage daily activities deteriorate. It mostly affects older people but is not a normal part of ageing. Reports that actor Sean Connery, who died at 90, had dementia prompted fresh attention to the subject.
The human cost goes beyond memory. The India report says dementia often takes away a person's dignity along with memories and personality, and that stigma, a shortage of services and barriers to reaching those that exist add physical, psychological and financial strain for families.
Researchers say the gap in knowledge is wide. Dr Jonas Sundarakumar, a scientific officer at the Centre for Brain Research, notes that data from the developing world, India especially, is sparse. Following people from genotype to phenotype, he says, should clarify how genes and environment interact, and that could point toward ways to prevent cognitive decline and dementia. The causes of dementia are still not fully understood; it usually appears after middle age, from neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular processes that begin earlier in life.
One early signal has emerged. Preliminary, unpublished SANSCOG data, compared with the parallel urban Tata Longitudinal Study of Ageing, show significant differences in cardiovascular risk factors: hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity. Urban participants have a much higher prevalence of all of them. Whether that translates into different dementia risk is not yet known, and researchers say they will see as they keep following both groups.
On the care side, Dr Sridhar Vaitheswaran of SCARF India, a consultant psychiatrist who leads its dementia care work, names lack of awareness as the major concern, along with too few trained staff and day centres. He says that, as with diabetes, dementia has no cure but can be managed through interventions. He is a co-investigator in a multi-country study of Cognitive Simulation Therapy in India, Brazil and Tanzania, funded by the UK Medical Research Council and the Indian Council of Medical Research. The therapy is a brief group-based psychosocial programme for people with mild to moderate dementia. Evidence for its effectiveness is consistent, but less is known about using it in routine care, so the study aims to build a sustainable programme to improve quality of life and cognition.
For SANSCOG, the real answers lie years away, in the follow-up data on how rural and urban risk profiles play out.
Citazioni salienti
We are conducting detailed, multimodal assessments on 10,000 residents of Srinivaspura aged 45 and above, and following them up over a long period of time.— Dr Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, Director, Centre for Brain Research
Lack of awareness is a major concern, along with lack of manpower and day centres.— Dr Sridhar Vaitheswaran, SCARF India
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