We’re pleased to share our latest publication introducing a new brain health neuroimaging dataset from the UAE
Since its founding in 1971, the UAE has undergone rapid demographic and health transitions, with rising rates of conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease—both closely linked to brain health. Yet, the UAE and the wider MENA region remain significantly underrepresented in large, well-controlled normative neuroimaging datasets.
About the project
This paper presents the study protocol and initial data release from the ASPIRE Research Institute Brain Health Project, which aims to recruit 2,000 adults (ages 18–60):
– 1,000 Emirati citizens
– 1,000 non-Emirati residents
We also share neuroimaging and behavioral data from the first 41 participants via the Open Science Framework (OSF), along with detailed documentation and preprocessing workflows to support reuse by the global research community.
Why it matters
This dataset is an important step toward improving our understanding of brain health in the UAE and the MENA region, and reflects our commitment to open, transparent, and reproducible science.
Read the full paper here.
