The ASPIRE Research Institute Dataset: Building a Foundation for Brain Health Research in the United Arab Emirates

Since its founding in 1971, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has experienced rapid population growth, urbanization, and increased life expectancy, leading to a rise in health issues common in developed countries, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These conditions significantly impact brain health, often contributing to perceptual and cognitive deficits. However, the UAE and the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region lack large, controlled normative neuroimaging data to assess these effects on the brain. To address this gap, the ASPIRE Research Institute (ARI) will recruit a cohort of 1000 Emirati citizens and 1000 non-Emirati residents (18-60 years-old) and build a comprehensive brain health dataset. Here we document an initial sample comprising neuroimaging data from 41 participants (23 males, 18 females; mean age = 25.08 ± 7.64 years), made available through the Open Science Framework (OSF) website. We outline the study protocol, including MRI and behavioral data acquisition, data management, and preprocessing workflows. We also provide detailed documentation of the dataset to facilitate use by the research community.