Israeli breakthrough in Alzheimer's research among women - voila! health

2023-05-09T12:06:15.904Z

Highlights: In women, Alzheimer's disease usually deteriorates more rapidly. Researchers from Israel have been able to figure out why - which is considered an essential step in finding a cure for patients. For the first time, the study found a direct link between a family of tiny RNA fragments and the rate of disease development in women. The researchers found that the depletion of the reservoirs of these RNA fragments in the brain reflects the rapid development of cognitive impairment among women with Alzheimer's. The study was published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

In women, Alzheimer's disease usually deteriorates more rapidly. Researchers from Israel have been able to figure out why - which is considered an essential step in finding a cure for patients

Prof. Hermona Sorek (Hebrew University)

Researchers have long known that dementia indices rise faster and more intensely in women than in men, but the causes remain unclear. Now, Prof. Hermona Sorek, one of the world's leading researchers on gene expression in the brain, has succeeded, in collaboration with her research colleagues, in finding a molecular mechanism that occurs in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, which does not occur in men and which explains the acceleration of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease patients.

The new study, led by Hebrew University researchers Prof. Hermona Sorek and Prof. Jonathan Levinstein of the Safra Center for Neuroscience and the Institute of Life Sciences, found a surprising molecular mechanism in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients that explains the rapid deterioration in women's cognitive indices compared to men with the disease. The article was published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

Treatment today includes severe side effects for women

Alzheimer's disease is one of the most serious degenerative diseases, the main cause of dementia, and it is known that it tends to affect more severely in women, who experience a faster decline in their cognitive abilities, compared to men with Alzheimer's disease. Today, many researchers are looking for information about the factors that lead to cognitive deterioration in the disease and are trying to develop drug treatments to prevent the symptoms.

The treatment protocol currently aims only to delay the development of symptoms of the disease and is known to cause more severe side effects in women with the disease, compared to sick men. This means that the decline in the functioning of women with Alzheimer's disease does not stop in response to treatment and the side effects caused by the treatment are more severe compared to sick men.

Prof. Hermona Sorek (Photo: Yosef Edst, Hebrew University)

"There is room for hope"

The study found, for the first time, a direct link between a family of tiny RNA fragments and the rate of disease development in women. The researchers found that the depletion of the reservoirs of these RNA fragments in the brain reflects the rapid development of cognitive impairment among women with Alzheimer's, but does not reflect changes in brain structure, but rather in the cognitive index of the women with Alzheimer's.

"Our study has shown exceptionally well that the reservoirs of transporter RNA fragments from a mitochondrial source, known to be donated by the mother, are depleted in the damaged brain nuclei and that this phenomenon is particularly pronounced in the brains of women with it. The findings of the study shed new light on the mechanisms for controlling the development of Alzheimer's disease among women and emphasize the fundamental differences, not only in the way the disease develops in women, at a faster rate than in men and with a faster deterioration in cognitive indicators, but also in the way symptoms are treated, since today RNA-based treatments have become a practical option following the COVID-19 pandemic and there is room for hope against this background." Prof. Sorek explained.

"This is the first time that we can offer a molecular explanation for the processes that occur in patients' brains and why the treatment protocol that has been offered to them to date is insufficient. The discovery could have implications for the way we study and treat Alzheimer's and dementia," Prof. Sorek concluded, adding: "I hope that this new discovery will lead to good and optimal treatment of Alzheimer's patients and help them and their families around the world."

The innovative research was carried out by a number of researchers, headed by Prof. Sorek and Prof. Levinstein, student Dana Shulman, and in collaboration with American colleagues, including Prof. David Bennett from Chicago, Elliott Mapson from Arizona and Sudha Sashadry from Texas, and supported by American research institutes and the Foundation for Basic Research, as well as the support of the Stein Foundation and Sami Sagol.