More than two-thirds of the Americans living with Alzheimer's are women -- some like the character Alice in the movie "Still Alice," who suffers from an early onset form of the disease.
Science Friday tackled that topic Friday, with guests Michael Greicius, MD, MPH, associate professor of neurology and director of the Stanford Center for Memory Disorders, and Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, professor of pharmacology at the University of Southern California. The two quickly disputed the belief that more women get Alzheimer's disease because they live longer.
"The way women age puts them at risk," Brinton said. As they transition through menopause, some women develop cognitive symptoms such as insomnia, depression and short-term memory loss, leaving them at greater risk for Alzheimer's, she explained.
Women who have a form of a gene called APOE-e4 are particularly at risk, although it doesn't seem to affect men, Greicius said. The gene interacts with estrogen.
Scientists are continuing to decipher the link between estrogen and Alzheimer's and the possibility of hormone therapies, as well as the connection -- if any -- between pregnancy and Alzheimer's risk, the scientists told listeners.
The 18-minute segment is available here.
Previously: Blocking a receptor on brain's immune cells counters Alzheimer's in mice, The state of Alzheimer's research: A conversation with Stanford neurologist Michael Greicius, Having a copy of ApoE4 gene variant doubles Alzheimer's risk for women but not for men and The toll of Alzheimer's on caretakers
