Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical Center found that genes associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease are more likely to impair women’s mental abilities due to characteristics of immune cells in the brain. Research results It was published In the journal Neuron.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects millions of people worldwide, with women affected at almost twice the rate of men. To find the reasons for this disproportionate distribution, scientists focused on the genetic factors behind the development of this disease.
They analyzed traits that impair brain health in rats with human versions of the APOE4 and TREM2 R47H genes. These rare variants increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease severalfold. The results showed that women with these mutations had severe damage to an area of the brain that plays an important role in thinking and memory. This damage involved larger accumulations of toxic tau proteins. This effect was not observed in men.
Genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease pose a greater threat to women due to the characteristics of immune cells in the brain called microglia, researchers say. Microglia normally protect the brain, but APOE4 and TREM2 cannot function properly when carrying R47H. Instead of clearing damaged cells and eliminating protein buildup, these support cells “senescent” and secrete inflammatory chemicals.
Previously was named The way to reduce the risk of developing dementia by 12%.