New thesis identifies oestrogen receptor as a possible key in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease
In her thesis, the researcher shows that activation of the oestrogen receptor ERβ reduces Alzheimer’s-related changes in the brain and improves memory. The results also highlight important sex differences that may have implications for future treatments and clinical studies.
What is the main focus of your thesis?
”Almost two out of three people with Alzheimer’s disease are women, and this is only partly explained by women living longer. The female sex hormone oestrogen is thought to protect the brain, and that protection is lost at menopause. My thesis focuses on a particular oestrogen receptor, ERβ, which may offer this protection without the side effects that limit hormone therapy, and asks how it works and whether it works the same way in males and females”, says Heba Ali, PhD student at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society.
What are the most important results?
”Activating ERβ with a drug reduced the build-up of amyloid, the protein that clumps together in the Alzheimer's brain, and improved memory in both sexes. When we removed the receptor instead, male mice were affected far more than female mice, suggesting that the two sexes rely on different protective systems. We also found that the brain produces its own oestrogen, so it is partly protected even when the body's own supply stops”.
How can this new knowledge contribute to the improvement of people’s health?
”Drugs that activate ERβ already exist and are being tested in clinical trials for other conditions, so these findings are directly relevant to treatment. Most importantly, the work shows that sex must be treated as a fundamental biological factor in Alzheimer's research rather than something to adjust for. The same treatment may not work in the same way in men and women, and future studies and clinical trials should therefore analyze the sexes separately”.
What’s in the future for you? Will you continue to conduct research?
”I enjoy research and academic work, and I hope to continue working on sex differences not only in neurodegenerative disease but also in other conditions”.