Alzheimer's disease disproportionately affects women, who represent about two-thirds of those diagnosed with the late-onset type of the disease.
Previous research has shown Alzheimer's is also more severe and progresses more rapidly in women, and women with Alzheimer's experience a steeper cognitive decline – loss of memory, attention, and the ability to communicate and make decisions – compared to men with the disease.
While the significance of the findings is paramount, the methodology behind them is equally critical, pointing to a necessary shift in scientific approaches. Alzheimer's and the communication system of the brain One of the key markers of Alzheimer's disease is the toxic build-up of the protein beta-amyloid in the brain, which eventually disrupts the brain's communications system and impacts cognition.
Related StoriesThe team of Western researchers studied this interaction between changes in brain chemistry and the beta-amyloid protein build-up seen in brains impacted by Alzheimer's. "We observed that the relationship between the integrity of the brain region where cholinergic neurons reside and beta-amyloid accumulation was the same for men and women but was different in male and female mice," said Marco Prado. The researchers suspected that the fact the female mice being studied were not post-menopausal, while women were, could be an attributing factor to the difference.
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