Sex and gender considerations in Alzheimer’s disease: The Women’s Brain Project contribution
The global population is expected to have about 131.5 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias by 2050, posing a severe health crisis. Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that gradually impairs physical and cognitive functions. Dementia has a variety...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1105620/full |
| _version_ | 1797856372589592576 |
|---|---|
| author | Laura Castro-Aldrete Michele V. Moser Guido Putignano Maria Teresa Ferretti Annemarie Schumacher Dimech Annemarie Schumacher Dimech Antonella Santuccione Chadha Antonella Santuccione Chadha |
| author_facet | Laura Castro-Aldrete Michele V. Moser Guido Putignano Maria Teresa Ferretti Annemarie Schumacher Dimech Annemarie Schumacher Dimech Antonella Santuccione Chadha Antonella Santuccione Chadha |
| author_sort | Laura Castro-Aldrete |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The global population is expected to have about 131.5 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias by 2050, posing a severe health crisis. Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that gradually impairs physical and cognitive functions. Dementia has a variety of causes, symptoms, and heterogeneity concerning the influence of sex on prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes. The proportion of male-to-female prevalence varies based on the type of dementia. Despite some types of dementia being more common in men, women have a greater lifetime risk of developing dementia. AD is the most common form of dementia in which approximately two-thirds of the affected persons are women. Profound sex and gender differences in physiology and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions have increasingly been identified. As a result, new approaches to dementia diagnosis, care, and patient journeys should be considered. In the heart of a rapidly aging worldwide population, the Women’s Brain Project (WBP) was born from the necessity to address the sex and gender gap in AD. WBP is now a well-established international non-profit organization with a global multidisciplinary team of experts studying sex and gender determinants in the brain and mental health. WBP works with different stakeholders worldwide to help change perceptions and reduce sex biases in clinical and preclinical research and policy frameworks. With its strong female leadership, WBP is an example of the importance of female professionals’ work in the field of dementia research. WBP-led peer-reviewed papers, articles, books, lectures, and various initiatives in the policy and advocacy space have profoundly impacted the community and driven global discussion. WBP is now in the initial phases of establishing the world’s first Sex and Gender Precision Medicine Institute. This review highlights the contributions of the WBP team to the field of AD. This review aims to increase awareness of potentially important aspects of basic science, clinical outcomes, digital health, policy framework and provide the research community with potential challenges and research suggestions to leverage sex and gender differences. Finally, at the end of the review, we briefly touch upon our progress and contribution toward sex and gender inclusion beyond Alzheimer’s disease. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:39:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b431328de46f43459ba3daa4950551cc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-4365 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:39:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-b431328de46f43459ba3daa4950551cc2023-03-30T05:36:45ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652023-03-011510.3389/fnagi.2023.11056201105620Sex and gender considerations in Alzheimer’s disease: The Women’s Brain Project contributionLaura Castro-Aldrete0Michele V. Moser1Guido Putignano2Maria Teresa Ferretti3Annemarie Schumacher Dimech4Annemarie Schumacher Dimech5Antonella Santuccione Chadha6Antonella Santuccione Chadha7Women’s Brain Project, Guntershausen bei Aadorf, SwitzerlandWomen’s Brain Project, Guntershausen bei Aadorf, SwitzerlandWomen’s Brain Project, Guntershausen bei Aadorf, SwitzerlandWomen’s Brain Project, Guntershausen bei Aadorf, SwitzerlandWomen’s Brain Project, Guntershausen bei Aadorf, SwitzerlandFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, SwitzerlandWomen’s Brain Project, Guntershausen bei Aadorf, SwitzerlandAltoida Inc., Washington, DC, United StatesThe global population is expected to have about 131.5 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias by 2050, posing a severe health crisis. Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that gradually impairs physical and cognitive functions. Dementia has a variety of causes, symptoms, and heterogeneity concerning the influence of sex on prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes. The proportion of male-to-female prevalence varies based on the type of dementia. Despite some types of dementia being more common in men, women have a greater lifetime risk of developing dementia. AD is the most common form of dementia in which approximately two-thirds of the affected persons are women. Profound sex and gender differences in physiology and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions have increasingly been identified. As a result, new approaches to dementia diagnosis, care, and patient journeys should be considered. In the heart of a rapidly aging worldwide population, the Women’s Brain Project (WBP) was born from the necessity to address the sex and gender gap in AD. WBP is now a well-established international non-profit organization with a global multidisciplinary team of experts studying sex and gender determinants in the brain and mental health. WBP works with different stakeholders worldwide to help change perceptions and reduce sex biases in clinical and preclinical research and policy frameworks. With its strong female leadership, WBP is an example of the importance of female professionals’ work in the field of dementia research. WBP-led peer-reviewed papers, articles, books, lectures, and various initiatives in the policy and advocacy space have profoundly impacted the community and driven global discussion. WBP is now in the initial phases of establishing the world’s first Sex and Gender Precision Medicine Institute. This review highlights the contributions of the WBP team to the field of AD. This review aims to increase awareness of potentially important aspects of basic science, clinical outcomes, digital health, policy framework and provide the research community with potential challenges and research suggestions to leverage sex and gender differences. Finally, at the end of the review, we briefly touch upon our progress and contribution toward sex and gender inclusion beyond Alzheimer’s disease.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1105620/fullAlzheimer’s diseasesex differencesdigital therapeuticsprecision medicineWomen’s Brain Projectartificial intelligence |
| spellingShingle | Laura Castro-Aldrete Michele V. Moser Guido Putignano Maria Teresa Ferretti Annemarie Schumacher Dimech Annemarie Schumacher Dimech Antonella Santuccione Chadha Antonella Santuccione Chadha Sex and gender considerations in Alzheimer’s disease: The Women’s Brain Project contribution Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Alzheimer’s disease sex differences digital therapeutics precision medicine Women’s Brain Project artificial intelligence |
| title | Sex and gender considerations in Alzheimer’s disease: The Women’s Brain Project contribution |
| title_full | Sex and gender considerations in Alzheimer’s disease: The Women’s Brain Project contribution |
| title_fullStr | Sex and gender considerations in Alzheimer’s disease: The Women’s Brain Project contribution |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sex and gender considerations in Alzheimer’s disease: The Women’s Brain Project contribution |
| title_short | Sex and gender considerations in Alzheimer’s disease: The Women’s Brain Project contribution |
| title_sort | sex and gender considerations in alzheimer s disease the women s brain project contribution |
| topic | Alzheimer’s disease sex differences digital therapeutics precision medicine Women’s Brain Project artificial intelligence |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1105620/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lauracastroaldrete sexandgenderconsiderationsinalzheimersdiseasethewomensbrainprojectcontribution AT michelevmoser sexandgenderconsiderationsinalzheimersdiseasethewomensbrainprojectcontribution AT guidoputignano sexandgenderconsiderationsinalzheimersdiseasethewomensbrainprojectcontribution AT mariateresaferretti sexandgenderconsiderationsinalzheimersdiseasethewomensbrainprojectcontribution AT annemarieschumacherdimech sexandgenderconsiderationsinalzheimersdiseasethewomensbrainprojectcontribution AT annemarieschumacherdimech sexandgenderconsiderationsinalzheimersdiseasethewomensbrainprojectcontribution AT antonellasantuccionechadha sexandgenderconsiderationsinalzheimersdiseasethewomensbrainprojectcontribution AT antonellasantuccionechadha sexandgenderconsiderationsinalzheimersdiseasethewomensbrainprojectcontribution |