Northwestern mouse study suggests estrogen loss raises women's Alzheimer's risk
A new Northwestern University study may explain why women face a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers found that female mice without estrogen developed memory issues and social withdrawal as they aged, while female mice without estrogen developed signs of depression in both young and old mice, while male mice didn't show these problems.
The findings point to estrogen playing a key role in keeping the female brain healthy.
Missing estrogen disrupts extracellular matrix genes
The team noticed that gene activity changes from low estrogen in mice were similar to those seen in people with Alzheimer's disease.
They also discovered that gene activity linked to a brain structure important for memory, the extracellular matrix, was disrupted when estrogen was missing.
This could open up new ways to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease, especially by looking into hormone-based therapies for women after menopause.