A study in laboratory mice showed a possible link between senile dementia and the X chromosome. A mechanism is revealed that may explain why women are more likely to experience senile dementia and are more vulnerable.
It is well known that women suffer from Alzheimer's approximately twice as often as men. Previously, the view was expressed that this is simply due to the ability of women to live longer. In many parts of the world, women live longer than men, and if a person lives longer, then the chance of developing senile dementia is higher.
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The mechanistic basis of this vulnerability is unclear. One possible theory is the presence of significantly higher accumulations of the toxic tau protein in the female brain. The process of eliminating excess protein levels begins with the addition of a so-called chemical label called ubiquitin to it. Disruption of the function of this process can lead to abnormal accumulations of tau, which is what scientists from Case Western Reserve University have found. They were looking for an increased activity of enzyme systems that either add or remove this same label with ubiquitin.
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Survey has shown that women's brains show higher expression of the X-linked enzyme ubiquitin-specific peptidase 11 compared to men's. In other words, Alzheimer's disease may have a connection with the female X chromosome, and its presence leads to a greater accumulation of that same tau protein. The results of the study provide a basis for identifying other X-linked factors that may explain women's increased susceptibility to senile dementia. (READ MORE)