More than 7 million people in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and about two-thirds of them are women.
Scientists have long wondered why women are more affected by this disease than men. A research team at the University of Rochester is trying to find answers by looking at how male and female brains respond differently to Alzheimer’s.
Dr. M. Kerry O’Banion, a professor of Neuroscience and Neurology, and his team, including graduate student Lia Calcines-Rodriguez, have been studying the immune cells in the brain, called microglia. These cells help clean the brain and protect it from damage.
But in Alzheimer’s disease, microglia can behave in harmful ways. The researchers found that microglia act differently in males and females, and this difference could help explain why more women get the disease.
In their recent study with mice, they discovered that when microglia respond to the sticky clumps of protein known as amyloid-β plaques—one of the key signs of Alzheimer’s—they behave differently depending on the sex of the mouse.
In females, the microglia showed more activity in certain genes related to interferons. Interferons are normally used by the body to fight off viruses. But in this case, they might be doing more harm than good.
Scientists believe that when microglia try to clean up the amyloid-β plaques, they might mistake parts of the plaques for viruses. This could cause them to release interferons and trigger inflammation in the brain. This kind of inflammation can damage the connections between brain cells, which may lead to memory loss and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
What was especially surprising was that female microglia seemed to take in more of the amyloid-β plaques, yet left behind larger and more irregular plaques than male microglia. These leftover plaques caused more harm to the brain’s communication pathways.
Interestingly, these differences were not linked to changes in hormone levels in female mice. This means that normal hormone cycles might not be the reason why female brains respond differently. Instead, there may be something deeper and more permanent in how female microglia are built or how they work.
This new information suggests that interferon signaling in microglia might be a good target for new treatments, especially ones tailored for women. Since microglia play such an important role in the brain, finding a way to control their response could help slow down or even prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
The study helps us understand that male and female brains may react differently to disease, and that treatments might need to be personalized based on sex. The team at the University of Rochester hopes this research will open the door to better, more targeted treatments for both men and women with Alzheimer’s.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about the protective power of dietary antioxidants against Alzheimer’s, and eating habits linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms, and Vitamin E may help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
The study is published in PNAS.
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