By RENEE GHERT-ZAND
A team led by researchers at the Safra Center for Neuroscience and the Institute for Life Sciences at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem have uncovered a sex-specific molecular mechanism leading to more accelerated cognitive decline in women with Alzheimer’s disease than in men.
Alzheimer’s, the leading cause of dementia, has no cure and disproportionately affects women. Current therapeutic protocols are based on structural changes in the brain and aim only at delaying symptoms’ progression but result in more severe side effects in women.
The research findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association and show that severe depletion of mitochondrial RNA fragments inherited from the mother, in the affected brain nuclei, correlates with the rapid deterioration of cognitive abilities in women with living Alzheimer’s.
“This discovery provides the first molecular explanation for the accelerated cognitive damages occurring in the brains of women with Alzheimer’s disease, opening the door for improvement of current treatment protocols,” said Prof. Hermona Soreq, brain gene expert and one of the primary investigators on the study.
“With this discovery, we can take a crucial step forward in developing drugs suitable for women suffering from this devastating condition, and pave the way for optimal care and support for Alzheimer’s patients and their families,” she said.
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