Lisa Mosconi is a neuroscientist who is particularly interested in the brain because of her own family history–women relatives have died of Alzheimer’s, while her brother did not. She now researches differences between the sexes and their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and has written a book on the subject. She says that hormones may affect the brain, and discusses things that women can be doing to reduce their risk of developing the disease. Read on for an interview with this neuroscientist and author.
Key Takeaways:
- Menopause is the reason Alzheimer’s affects more women than men.
- Estrogen plays a role in supporting energy metabolism in women’s brains.
- Menopause can’t be avoided, but smoking and unhealthy eating may cause it to arrive earlier.
“Alzheimer’s does not actually start in old age. Rather, Alzheimer’s starts with negative changes in the brain years, if not decades, prior to clinical symptoms. This brings us away from age 70, when the clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s tend to become manifest, and closer to midlife.”
Read more: https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-2020/lisa-mosconi-the-xx-brain-interview.html
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