EDMONTON — Important risk factors in Alzheimer’s disease affect men and women very differently — which has implications on prevention and treatment — according to a large-scale University of Alberta study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Using a gene called bridging integrator 1 (BIN1) and vascular health, measured by pulse pressure, researchers analyzed data from 623 older adults — ages 53 to 97— over 44 years of their lives, because the disease starts way before it can be diagnosed.
“Not just five years, but 10,15, 20 years before diagnosis, there are changes in the brain that are early signals of the disease,” says Roger Dixon, professor of psychology in the Faculty of Science and Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute (NMHI) member.
As women are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease more often than men, an unexpected finding of the study showed a sharp decline in memory for men with BIN1 genetic risk as well as poor vascular health, but not for women.
Apart from the fact that women live longer than men and other neurobiological and hormonal changes in midlife also play a role, discovering that these two risk factors don’t have the same impact on women speaks to the importance of taking differences between men and women into account when diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s, says Dixon.
“One thing a lot of researchers are doing is aiming to find those individuals who are most at risk for Alzheimer’s disease long before they get it, because once they get it, there is not much we can do except alleviate some of the symptoms,” he says.
According to Dixon, there are multiple risk factors that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease. So there’s not a single risk factor that is going to tell researchers who is going to get it or not — it’s a combination that unfolds over time. But if they have the right data, they can track and identify who is most at risk, he notes.
“Some pathways lead toward Alzheimer’s disease and some lead away from it. What we are doing here is finding subtypes, as defined by these risk factors, and identifying which ones are most likely to benefit from what kind of risk intervention or risk reduction intervention.”
Roger Dixon will speak at a free public lecture on Jan. 26 for Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.
The full story can be found here. To speak with Roger Dixon, please contact:
Debra Clark
U of A communications associate
debra.clark@ualberta.ca