Oklahoma does not have a single Alzheimer's disease research center, even as the state's older population grows and dementia cases climb. Now a state senator and a state representative are trying to change that, pushing to bring a National Institute on Aging-designated center to Oklahoma after an earlier legislative effort to address the disease was vetoed earlier this year.
Sen. Mark Mann is leading the charge, working to bring a national Alzheimer's research center to the state, according to KJRH. Mann and Rep. Nicole Miller led a 2026 legislative interim study, per the Oklahoma Senate's published interim study records. As The Journal Record reports, the proposed center would be Oklahoma's first.
Mann has said Oklahoma lags behind other states in Alzheimer's and dementia research and treatment, and that awareness of and access to existing tests and treatments remain challenges for Oklahomans, according to The Journal Record. Nationally, 37 Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers are active across 25 states, the outlet reports, with Texas and Kansas each home to at least one.
Why a National Designation Matters
Mann has said a National Institute on Aging-designated center could help Oklahoma obtain federal grants for research, clinical trials and treatment, and could improve residents' access to advanced care, per The Journal Record. NIA-funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers have played a central role in national research on Alzheimer's and related dementias for more than four decades, according to the National Institute on Aging.
Two comparable centers illustrate what that designation can bring. The University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, first designated in 2011 and renewed in 2016, recently secured a five-year grant worth more than $15 million through 2026, according to the University of Kansas Medical Center, which describes the KU center as one of 31 nationally designated centers. The North Texas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, based at UT Southwestern Medical Center in collaboration with UT Dallas and UT Arlington, received a five-year award expected to total $23 million and plans to use artificial-intelligence voice analysis and digital-twin technology in its dementia research, according to UT Southwestern Medical Center. That same source describes the North Texas center as one of two in Texas and 37 nationwide — a count that differs from the Kansas center's cited figure of 31, though the dossier does not explain the discrepancy.
A Vetoed Bill and a Caucus Born From It
Mann and Rep. Nicole Miller also co-chair the Legislature's Alzheimer's Caucus, which they founded in 2025 to promote policies, legislation and awareness around Alzheimer's disease and dementia, per The Journal Record. The caucus's push followed the Oklahoma Legislature's passage of Senate Bill 1428 during the 2026 session, which would have created the Office of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia Service Coordination and employed a dementia services coordinator to provide statewide coordination, service-system development and information for caregivers and people living with the disease.
Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed the bill in May. His veto message said the Department of Health already employed an individual whose position is funded by federal dollars to address the needs of the Alzheimer's community, calling the bill's proposed position duplicative, according to the Office of the Oklahoma Governor. Legislators had been told the coordination office would help establish an in-state Alzheimer's research center, per a news release cited by The Journal Record, though the bill itself did not outline a research-center role for the office.
A Growing Population, a Shrinking Window
Miller has said the interim study provided valuable insight into advancing Alzheimer's research in Oklahoma, and the study recommended establishing an external advisory committee to guide the effort, according to The Journal Record. Alzheimer's disease ranks as the sixth-leading cause of death nationally, per the CDC as cited in the same report, and the number of Oklahomans with the disease is expected to increase.
More than 70,000 Oklahomans age 65 and older are currently living with Alzheimer's, according to KJRH. The Journal Record separately cites the Alzheimer's Association of Oklahoma estimating 71,000 residents 65 and older with the disease, and notes the group's estimate that one in three seniors will die with some form of dementia. Caregiver figures also vary: KJRH reports an estimated 135,000 Oklahomans provide unpaid care to people with Alzheimer's or other dementias, totaling about 226 million hours annually and nearly $4.8 billion in value, while the Alzheimer's Association, Oklahoma Chapter cites 108,000 caregivers dedicating 189 million hours of unpaid care.
The stakes are rising alongside the state's demographics. Oklahoma's population age 65 and older is projected to increase 21.3% by 2034, the year adults 65 and older are expected to outnumber children in the state for the first time, according to Oklahoma Human Services. KJRH also reports that catching Alzheimer's in its early stage, rather than waiting until mild cognitive impairment sets in, could produce $63,000 in long-term-care savings over an individual's lifetime. Sarah Ocanas of the OU Medical Research Foundation cited FDA-approved anti-amyloid treatments and new clinical trials that may help slow the disease's progression as reasons for hope.
