Webinar Summary
- The extent to which sex differences exist in Alzheimer's disease risk
- How sex steroid hormones and the X chromosome play a role in moderating this risk
- Understand the importance of sex disaggregating findings, both in observational research and also in clinical trials
This presentation highlights the state of play in the literature with regard to sex differences in prevalence and incidence rates of dementia. Dr. Buckley touches upon the well characterized issue of women being underdiagnosed with dementia due to the fact that they perform much better than men on many neuropsychological tests. She presents her work that has shown consistently, and across many independent cohorts, that women show elevated levels of tauopathy in the brain relative to men. After demonstrating these sex differences in these clinical AD-related outcomes, she turns to the question of whether they might be driven by sex steroid hormones or the X chromosome. She ends the talk by touching upon the reasons why we care about sex differences, particularly from a clinical trials perspective. In addition, she presents her working framework for where she thinks the field stands and what gaps remain in the literature.
Featuring Insights from
Rachel Buckley
,
PhD
Dr. Buckley is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a recipient of an NIH K99/R00, an NIH DP2 New Innovator Award and an NIH R01. Her research interests lie in sex differences in risk for Alzheimer’s disease and seeking to optimize women’s brain health.
In Partnership with
American Physiological Society
Founded in 1887, the American Physiological Society is a global leader in expanding knowledge related to biological function. We connect a multidisciplinary community of nearly 10,000 scientists and educators from around the world, driving collaboration and spotlighting scientific discoveries in physiology and related disciplines. Our members are advancing treatments and cures for everything from cancer and heart disease, to obesity and addiction. They are also deepening our insight into living organisms generally, helping us to better understand how things like climate change are affecting the world around us.
Society for Women’s Health Research
As a national thought leader dedicated to advancing women’s health and promoting research on sex differences to optimize women’s health, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) plays a critical role in identifying clinical and research gaps; raising awareness of diseases, conditions, and life stages that differently, disproportionately, or exclusively affect women; and promoting policies that could positively shape health outcomes for women. Over its more than 30-year history, SWHR has been advancing women’s health through its core functions of science, policy, and education.
