Clues to higher incidence of dementia in women may lie in menopause
Canadian researchers are investigating the link between menopause and the higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease and dementia in women. Studies are focusing on biological changes detected in the blood and brain imaging to understand how hormonal transitions affect long-term cognitive health.
Why it matters
Understanding the gender-specific biological drivers of neurodegenerative diseases is critical for developing targeted prevention and treatment strategies for women.
Dr. Jennifer Rabin of the Sunnybrook Research Institute worked on the research related to the menopause transition and women's brain health. Yuri Markarov/Supplied
It’s a scientific mystery that puzzles researchers: Why are more Canadian women than men diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias?
That population demographic made up an estimated 62 per cent of people living with dementia in Canada in 2020, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.
But new scientific research conducted by Canadian scientists is shedding light on how changes that unfold in menopause could affect the brain later in life. It could also set the stage to uncover why women are disproportionately affected by neurodegenerative disease.
Late last month, research led by scientists at Sunnybrook Research Institute was published in the journal Nature Medicine on how menopause-related biological changes involving the brain are detected in the blood and could be linked to cognitive decline later.
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