UDSv4 Translations FAQ

We want to extend our deep appreciation and thanks to the entire UDSv4 Latino Task Force. This task force came together to develop a culturally and linguistically appropriate Spanish version of the UDSv4 battery so ADRCs can more effectively administer neuropsychological testing with participants from a wide variety of Latino backgrounds. 

Learn more about the Latino Task Force leaders

The Latino Task Force includes bilingual (Spanish/English) and bicultural experts in dementia from diverse Latino backgrounds who are affiliated with their institutions’ ADRCs and have access to Latino Spanish-speaking staff and populations. The Task Force members are: 

• Co-Chairs:  

  • Katya Rascovsky, PhD (University of Pennsylvania ADRC) 

  • María J. Marquine, PhD (Duke ADRC) 

• Coordinator

  • Lizbeth Vera-Murillo (Duke University) 

• Members:   

  • Paula Aduen, PhD (Mayo Clinic ADRC)  

  • Silvia Chapman, PhD (Columbia ADRC) 

  • Maria Corrada, ScM, ScD (UC Irvine ADRC)  

  • Lina D’Orazio, PhD (USC ADRC)  

  • David Gonzalez, PhD (Rush ADRC)  

  • Jorge Libre-Guerra, MD, MS (Washington University Knight ADRC) 

  • Gladys Maestre, MD, PhD (South Texas ADRC) 

  • Jaime Perales Puchalt, PhD, MPH (University of Kansas ADRC)  

  • Monica Rosselli, PhD (1Florida ADRC) 

  • Zvinka Zlatar, PhD, MS (UCSD Shiley-Marcos ADRC)  

December 19, 2025

• The Spanish UDSv4 IVP and Neuropsych Battery are now available on the EDC Docs site for download by all ADRCs.  

• Sites are encouraged to provide feedback on the forms using this survey.

Q1 2026

• The Spanish UDSv4 FVP is now available on the EDC Docs site. 

Q2 2026

• C2T (worksheets and instructions), C2 Instructions, and CLS will be posted on the EDC Docs site. 

  • Sites can only do in-person or video neuropsych battery using C2 until C2T is available.

After consulting the Clinical Task Force, we added the alphabet test to both the Spanish and English forms because people with low years of formal education and low quality of education do not learn – and/or cannot recite – the alphabet. This is not an issue that is unique to Spanish speakers or Latinos. Not knowing the alphabet would introduce construct irrelevant variance to performance on the Trails B.

While these aspects (word length, number of syllables, lexical frequency) were considered, there were others that took precedence. 

The Latino Task Force prioritized the following: 

1. Ensuring the language was understood by Latinos of all backgrounds.
2. Avoiding highly infrequent words or words that would require a high degree of literacy.
3. Maintaining semantic equivalence with the English version.
4. Following important aspects of the structure of the word list.

• The UDSv4 variables themselves are not changing between the languages. For any form questions or responses that are substantially different between the English UDSv4 and Spanish UDSv4 versions, the UDSv4 Latino Task Force is preparing a list of changes to include in the Researcher's Data Dictionary for release in early 2026. We will let sites know when this information is available. 

• The Latino Task Force won’t provide a list of differences between Spanish UDS3 and Spanish UDS4 as there are already resources that describe the differences between the English UDS3 and UDS4 versions.

For tests included in BOTH the UDS3 and UDS4 neuropsych batteries (i.e., MoCA, Number Span, Craft Story Immediate and Delay, Benson Copy and Recall, Trails A& B, MINT, Phonemic and Category Fluency) you can use Latino Reference Data (Norms) for Neuropsych Battery that were developed for the UDS3, as only small changes have been made in these tests. (You can find the UDS3 norms information, including a calculator, under the C2 form on the UDSv3 - Forms and Documentation on the NACC website.)

The word lists that were added in the UDS4 Spanish language version are new adaptations, so there are no reference (normative) data available at this time.

First, note that UDSv3 norms can be used for the UDSv4. The norms that we have available are for in-person testing. And, as we know, telephone has its own set of challenges. However, for the most part, existing data on remote cognitive testing shows that for most tests that are administered the same way with the same instructions both in person and remotely, then the reference data or normative data should be, for the most part, helpful. This is where the expertise of a bilingual person or a neuropsychologist who understands this issue comes in. In general, the more similar the testing is, the better the chance the normative data would work. 

Yes. Instructions for how to administer the UDSv4 are forthcoming. In the meantime, follow instructions provided in English; any Spanish-specific instructions are on the neuropsych worksheets. 

An important aspect of administering the neuropsych battery in Spanish is ensuring personnel is trained in its administration and scoring, and that expertise is available to address ongoing questions that might arise in the process of using the battery. The Latino Task Force recommends that you engage a bilingual investigator with knowledge of neurocognitive testing and the UDSv4 (if you have someone like that at your Center). If somebody with this expertise is not available on your team, please consider formally involving an investigator in another ADRC with this expertise, including members of the UDS v4 Latino Task Force. 

Yes, please administer the Spanish UDS4. We will include instructions that are specific to Spanish in the worksheets so it’s easy to administer, but for everything else, you can refer to the English instructions.

The Latino Task Force is working with NACC to produce an updated CLS form to be used across participants in the ADRCs who report some level of fluency in a language other than English. At this time, it is not confirmed that NACC will be able to accommodate this. We are planning to include assessments of bilingualism (beyond what is captured in the CLS) as part of culturally relevant resources for Latino people in the ADRCs. Data on these forms would not be captured by NACC, and the forms would not be mandatory.

• No, a Spanish-language REDCap will not be available during NACC’s Year 5 (ending May 31, 2026), as NACC and the UDSv4 Latino Task Force do not currently have resources to develop it before the next renewal. 

  • Kansas University shared the work they did to create a UDS4 REDCap with Multi-Language Module in Spanish, which you can download on the ADRC Community Forum (requires account).

• Sites can use printed Spanish forms and enter data into the English REDCap, marking the language of administration at the top of each form. Many centers already follow this approach successfully with bilingual staff. 

• No, we do not expect IRBs to require major changes, as there are no variable differences between the English and Spanish versions of UDSv4. The updates are limited to wording adjustments for localization and cultural adaptation into Spanish, so IRB impact should be minimal.  

• Note that some neuropsychological battery items have been refined for appropriate pronunciation and language use, but the underlying variables and data structure remain unchanged. 

No, a certificate of translation is not required. Drs. Marquine and Rascovsky addressed this by stating: 

• The adaptation is being conducted by recognized experts in the field. 

• Certificates of translation are used only when professional translation services are employed. 

• This effort represents a cultural and linguistic adaptation, not a direct translation—an important distinction that ensures scientific and contextual accuracy. 

• We recommend that sites involved with affiliated studies and cross-enrollments notify their partner IRBs once they receive the forms in November as external IRBs must submit the Spanish UDSv4 packet as well. 

• Sites should aim to keep assessments harmonized across programs.  

• ADRC staff across all roles are encouraged to submit the feedback form as often as needed. This input is highly valued.

• The UDSv4 Latino Task Force will review all feedback submitted by July 31, 2026, and decide what to incorporate. 

• The updated forms will be released in Summer 2026. 

• No. Please do not use the pre-release forms we provided to some sites in November 2025 to collect data. We provided the pre-release forms to aid sites in transition support and training and IRB approval only.  

• You can start Spanish collection using the full set of forms released in December 2025. 

• Sites can post questions about the Spanish adaptation in the UDSv4 Translations section of the ADRC Community Forum. If you haven’t already joined the Forum, this is a great time to do so!  

• In April 2026, NACC hosted a webinar with Latino Task Force leaders, Dr. Maria Marquine and Dr. Katya Rascovsky. Registered attendees should receive an email with the presentation link and video link. You can also access the webinar in your ADRC Portal.

• Join NACC for open office hours on the 4th Wednesday of every month. 

• Access the normative data calculator for UDS for Spanish-speaking participants, developed by Dr María Marquine and Dr Katya Rascovsky.

• See related paper: Demographically-adjusted normative data among Latinos for the version 3 of the Alzheimer's Disease Centers' Neuropsychological Test Battery in the Uniform Data Set (Marquine, et al)

The Latino Task Force will eventually provide additional suggested forms and guidelines in the ADRC Resource Library on the ADRC Community Forum and the Best Practices page on the NACC website. Some of the resources we are considering, include:

• Proposed guidelines for considering bilingual responses
• A suggested list of forms to capture culturally relevant variables that are not included in the UDSv4 but that are important for Latino people in the US, like:
  • Measures of acculturation 
  • Guidelines to assess performance-based bilingualism
  • Capturing years of education of people born in Latin America

We want to provide these extra forms that were developed in ADRCs so that sites that are interested in capturing that data can do so, and so we can start to have some consistency across sites. In the future, we hope to integrate these forms into the UDS so that they are captured centrally as part of NACC data submission across the ADRC network.

We would love to have a standing UDSv4 Latino Task Force or similar working group that investigators across the ADRC Program could consult with, for training their personnel, quality assurance, answering questions, and so forth.

In the future we hope that similar working groups are formed to work on the next iterations of the UDS, so that we can focus on co-development of forms in multiple languages, rather than adapting English forms after they are finalized.