Study of Ancestry, Health, Environment, and Late-Life Neurodegeneration (SAHEL)

@misc{kwairanga2026study,
  title = {{Study of Ancestry, Health, Environment, and Late-Life Neurodegeneration (SAHEL)}},
  author = {S. H. Kwairanga and H. J. Iwar and A. U. Faruk and I. A. Wakawa and U. B. Musami and P. N. Ogualili and M. Y. Mahmood and M. A. Fugu and M. M. Gimba and M. M. Allamin and Z. U. Abbas and M. K. Sunkani and Z. B. Yaganami and F. M. Kadau and N. M. Sani and P. Danmallam and L. E. Nanjul and L. Babazau and Z. Muhammad and D. Usman and A. I. Alkhamis and B. W. Goni and B. K. Machina and C. S. Lee and I. A. Allamin and A. Mustapha and M. B. Isaha and S. Joji and O. Oguntunde and Y. Aniweh and R. L. Grossman and T. Yoshimatsu and U. Anazodo and C. Udeh-Momoh and T. K. Karikari and C. M. Karch and C. U. Onyike and M. B. Maina},
  howpublished = {medRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.64898/2026.09.23.26363703},
  url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.23.26363703v1},
  note = {CC BY},
}

TY  - UNPB
TI  - Study of Ancestry, Health, Environment, and Late-Life Neurodegeneration (SAHEL)
AU  - S. H. Kwairanga
AU  - H. J. Iwar
AU  - A. U. Faruk
AU  - I. A. Wakawa
AU  - U. B. Musami
AU  - P. N. Ogualili
AU  - M. Y. Mahmood
AU  - M. A. Fugu
AU  - M. M. Gimba
AU  - M. M. Allamin
AU  - Z. U. Abbas
AU  - M. K. Sunkani
AU  - Z. B. Yaganami
AU  - F. M. Kadau
AU  - N. M. Sani
AU  - P. Danmallam
AU  - L. E. Nanjul
AU  - L. Babazau
AU  - Z. Muhammad
AU  - D. Usman
AU  - A. I. Alkhamis
AU  - B. W. Goni
AU  - B. K. Machina
AU  - C. S. Lee
AU  - I. A. Allamin
AU  - A. Mustapha
AU  - M. B. Isaha
AU  - S. Joji
AU  - O. Oguntunde
AU  - Y. Aniweh
AU  - R. L. Grossman
AU  - T. Yoshimatsu
AU  - U. Anazodo
AU  - C. Udeh-Momoh
AU  - T. K. Karikari
AU  - C. M. Karch
AU  - C. U. Onyike
AU  - M. B. Maina
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/23
PB  - medRxiv
DO  - 10.64898/2026.09.23.26363703
UR  - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.23.26363703v1
AB  - INTRODUCTIONDementia research in sub-Saharan Africa remains limited despite rapid population aging and substantial ancestral, environmental, and vascular diversity. The Study of Ancestry, Health, Environment, and Late-Life Neurodegeneration (SAHEL) characterizes late-life cognitive decline and neurodegeneration in north-eastern Nigeria.  METHODSSAHEL comprises community and hospital cohorts of adults aged 55 years or older in Yobe and Borno States. Participants undergo cognitive, functional, environmental, cardiovascular, metabolic, neuropsychiatric, and neurological assessments. Blood is collected for clinical profiling and biobanking, and consenting hospital participants provide skin biopsies for induced pluripotent stem cell generation. Planned analyses will integrate gut microbiota profiling, retinal imaging, and brain magnetic resonance imaging to investigate biological pathways and markers associated with healthy aging and cognitive outcomes.  RESULTSFrom August 2025 through February 2026, 1,044 community participants were screened (mean age, 69.4 years; 56.4% female); 379 (36.3%) screened positive for cognitive concern and entered longitudinal follow-up. The hospital cohort enrolled 102 participants (mean age, 73.5 years; 57.8% male), including participants with Alzheimers disease, vascular dementia, mixed dementia, and mild cognitive impairment. Blood was collected from 809 community participants and all hospital participants. The cohort includes Kanuri, Fulani, Hausa, Babur/Bura, and Shuwa Arab participants.  DISCUSSIONSAHEL has established a large, deeply characterized aging and dementia research platform in north-eastern Nigeria. Its linked clinical, environmental, biomarker, genomic, imaging, microbiome, and cellular resources will enable investigation of population-specific risk and resilience mechanisms and strengthen dementia research and precision medicine in African populations.
ER  -