According to research from the University of California of Irvine, women with Down syndrome have more advanced signs of Alzheimer’s disease than men at the average age of diagnosis, which is the same for both sexes. The results, published in Alzheimer’s and dementia: the newspaper of the Alzheimer’s association, Can shape the way we understand and approach treatments for Alzheimer’s disease in this population and beyond. The National Institutes of Health supported the study.
If women with Down syndrome are more deepened in the progression of the disease at the time of diagnosis, this could change the way in which interventions timed and interpreted the results in clinical trials. This research could help adapt therapies more effectively, not only for people with Down syndrome, but also for the population of wider Alzheimer. “”
Elizabeth Head, corresponding author, professor of pathology UC Irvine
Alzheimer’s disease is the main cause of death for people with Down syndrome, which are genetically predisposed to develop the condition earlier in life. While previous studies have observed that women with Down syndrome can live longer with dementia than men who have Down syndrome, few have examined closely if the underlying brain pathology differs by sex. In this study, the researchers examined the post-mortem brain samples of the cerebral benchmark for the IRVine Alzheimer’s IRVINE and neurobiobanque NIH neurobi-bob, measuring the levels of two Alzheimer brand proteins: AMYLOID and TAU phosphoryle.
The results suggest that women with Down syndrome can withstand a higher load of these proteins related to the disease than men, especially in the occipital lobe, which is a domain generally affected later in the disease both for Down syndrome and for women with sporadic Alzheimer’s disease – the more common and late form of Alzheimer’s disease that occurs without a strategic cause clear.
This insight indicates the need for approaches more specific to sex in the search for Alzheimer’s and planning of treatment, in particular in the design of clinical trials.
“Understanding selective vulnerabilities in the brain and the way in which these differ in women in relation to men will help us to sail better in the results of treatment. We learn the importance of modifiable risk factors, which includes taking into account specific risk, “said the main study, Elizabeth Andrews, a doctorate. candidate in the HEAD laboratory group.
The research team will then examine whether the gender -based differences extend to other types of pathology – such as the integrity of blood vessels, the connectivity of the white substance and additional contributors to dementia – and how these results are in correlation with the biomarkers collected during life. These efforts will help advance the field of precision medicine and offer more personalized strategies for Alzheimer’s care and prevention.