2024-03-08 07:24:18
New information on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8th.
von Astrid Marxen
(03/08/2024) Alzheimer’s can affect us all – but women get it much more often than men. Overall, two thirds of those affected are women; in Germany this corresponds to a number of around 800,000 people affected. Researchers had long attributed this imbalance to women’s longer life expectancy, as the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is age. However, we now know that the probability of a woman developing Alzheimer’s is higher than that of a man, regardless of their life expectancy.
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Dr. Alex Yang Liu
Photo: private
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In recent years, the female hormonal balance has increasingly come into focus as the cause. Now a new review article from the specialist magazine Neuroforum shows that causes can also be found in the gender-specific genes. The authors, private lecturer Dr. Alex Yang Liu and Prof. Klaus Faßbender from Saarland University Hospital have identified three factors that presumably contribute to women being more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. On the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8th, the non-profit Alzheimer Research Initiative eV is providing information regarding the new findings.
Factor 1: Circulatory disorders in the brain
Circulatory disorders in the brain occur in around 80 percent of people with Alzheimer’s. The reason for this is, among other things, the breakdown of pericytes. These are cells that regulate blood flow in the brain. If the number of pericytes decreases, the brain is no longer supplied with sufficient oxygen and mental abilities decline. In addition, harmful deposits of the protein beta-amyloid can accumulate in the brain, which presumably leads to the death of nerve cells. The genes that control the function of pericytes are located on the male and female sex chromosomes. This leads to different regulation of the pericytes.
“I think the vascular aspect is very important to understand why women are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Before menopause, women have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than men. After menopause, the incidence of heart disease and stroke almost doubles in women,” explains Yang Liu, lead author of the study. The term “vascular” refers to everything that has to do with blood vessels, including circulatory disorders.
Factor 2: Disturbance in the transmission of information in the brain
Gender also influences the transmission of information in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease. Certain cells, the so-called oligodendrocytes, ensure that nerve cells are protected and information can be exchanged quickly. There is evidence that these oligodendrocytes are activated less strongly in women than in men in the case of Alzheimer’s disease. As a result, this protective layer is less well preserved in women and the transmission of information in the brain is more impaired. These processes are probably controlled by genes in the reproductive organs, in men in the testicles and in women in the ovaries.
Factor 3: Weakened immune defenses
Microglial cells are an important part of the brain’s immune system. In the healthy brain, they have an anti-inflammatory effect and act like a kind of garbage disposal to ensure that harmful substances are disposed of. In Alzheimer’s disease, microglial cells are initially still able to break down the harmful protein deposits in the brain that are typical of the disease. As the disease progresses, the microglial cells become increasingly exhausted due to constant activation. They can then no longer guarantee the protection of the brain, but instead cause chronic inflammation, which further promotes the breakdown of nerve cells.
Microglial cells are influenced by different factors that also depend on gender. In women, the immune system and the regulation of inflammatory processes seem to function more poorly than in men. “Gender also influences immune and inflammatory responses because many genes involved in immune responses are located on the X chromosome,” says Yang Liu. In women, the sex chromosomes consist of two X chromosomes; in men, they consist of one X and one Y chromosome.
Gender-sensitive research is still in its infancy
Research into gender differences in the development of Alzheimer’s disease is still in its early stages. This is because for a long time men were considered the benchmark in research and medicine. Gender-specific differences were hardly taken into account in research and in studies the test subjects were predominantly male. In medical practice, women were simply treated like smaller, lighter men. In recent years there has been a growing awareness that gender differences play an important role in the development and treatment of diseases. Technical progress now makes it possible to take this into account in basic research. “Now we can detect these tiny differences at the molecular level between men and women because technologies have become so advanced, especially genetic sequencing and big data analysis,” explains Yang Liu.
Private lecturer Dr. med. Alex Yang Liu is project manager at the Center for Gender Biology and Medicine (CGBM) in the Department of Neurology at Saarland University. The Alzheimer’s expert was funded by the Alzheimer Research Initiative eV from 2018 to 2021 for his research on the influence of intestinal bacteria on Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer Research Initiative eV (AFI) is a non-profit organization that carries the donation certificate from the German Donations Council eV. Since 1995, the AFI has used donations to support research projects by committed Alzheimer’s researchers and provides free information material for the public. Thanks to numerous private donors, the AFI and its foundation have so far been able to support a total of 390 research activities with over 16.2 million euros. Those interested and affected can refer to www.alzheimer-forschung.de Provide in-depth information regarding Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and request educational material. The website also contains information regarding the association’s work and all donation options. The AFI’s ambassador is the journalist and sports presenter Okka Gundel.
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