The Alzheimer’s Association created the Women's Alzheimer’s Research Initiative (WARI) to help unlock the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease in women. A woman’s estimated lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer’s at age 65 is 1 in 6 (for men it is 1 in 11), and nearly two-thirds of the more than 5 million Americans already living with the disease are women. This disparity cannot be fully explained by women’s greater longevity and lower death rates relative to men.
With generous support from The Judy Fund and others, the Alzheimer’s Association made nine, $250,000 awards in 2016 to scientists for investigations into how sex and gender contribute to dementia. The studies are ongoing and include:
- An investigation into whether there are sex differences in the mechanisms that underlie stress and Alzheimer’s disease
- Whether APOE4, a gene associated with the greatest increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s at age 65 or older, impacts the effects of estrogen on brain function
- Whether there are sex differences in the way risk factors interact to influence the development of Alzheimer’s
To enable more research in this promising area of dementia science, The Judy Fund committed $500,000 in 2017 to sponsor three additional grants to investigators studying sex and gender in Alzheimer’s. With her award, Dr. Cindy Barha is studying how exercise affects the brains of men and women differently. Dr. Karienn Montgomery’s investigation could provide new information on how nerve cell communication is disrupted in Alzheimer’s disease and how these mechanisms may differ between males and females. Dr. Adriana Strutt is exploring whether a new tool she developed called SASEI (Strutt Adult Sexual Expression Inventory) can help identify and measure changes in sexual behavior in people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
All of these studies will make important contributions to inform early detection, treatment and prevention strategies for women and men alike.