New research calls for gender studies
Women more affected by Alzheimer’s
Author: Professor Joyce Harper
Alzheimer’s affects more women than men and has a more profound affect in women.
As we have previously reported, two thirds of people who suffer from Alzheimer’s in the USA are women.
Alzheimer patients have clumps of damaged proteins – called plaques – in their brains. In men these are found in the hypothalmus and in women they are normally in the area involved in controlling production of the neurochemical acetylcholine. Mens brains seem to cope better with the disease. Even if a male and female have the same number of plaques, the man would normally handle it better.
Oestrogen may protect the brain against Alzheimer’s. Professor Walter Rocca, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, found that women who had a hysterectomy in which there was also removal of the ovaries had a 140% increase in their risk of Alzheimer’s. Ovaries produce oestrogen, so giving these women oestrogen replacement reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s back to normal. But oestrogen is linked to cancer and heart disease.
It is not just oestrogen that plays a role. Women who have a low thyroid function for several years show a link with cognitive decline and dementia.
It may also be affected by the levels of work, as men spend more time at work and this gives men greater ‘cognitive reserve’ which allows them to cope better with the disease.
Genetics may also play a part. “Women with a certain variant of a gene called ApoE4 are 50 per cent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s,” says Dr Pauline Maki, a psychiatrist at the University of Illinois in Chicago, with a special interest in brain-hormone links.
A friend of mine has published an in-depth review of the evidence of gender differences in Alzheimer’s. Professor Keith Laws and colleagues published their findings in the World Journal of Psychiatry. Keith is Professor at the School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, and has said: “Sex differences in neurocognitive function are relatively well established in, for example, autism, schizophrenia, depression and dyslexia. Despite clear evidence, however, that Alzheimer’s disease is more prevalent in women, until recently little research had focussed on neurocognitive differences in men and women with Alzheimer’s disease.
“Our findings may have important implications for variation in the risk factors, progression and possibly the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in men and women. For instance, genetics are hard to change but easier to screen, cognitive reserve is modifiable and with more women working, the next generation may suffer less. It is therefore fundamental that we continue to identify the role of sex differences to enable more accurate diagnoses and open up doors for new treatments to emerge.”
Gender specific research in Alzheimer’s is certainly needed.
Read More:
You must be logged in to post a comment.
