Professor Kaarin Anstey from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has been awarded international funding to explore the links between women’s hormones and brain ageing, a critical area of study given the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s disease on women. In collaboration with Professor Kristine Yaffe from the University of California, Anstey has secured over $4 million from Wellcome Leap’s CARE (Cutting Alzheimer’s Risk through Endocrinology) program.
Women account for approximately two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients, the most prevalent form of dementia, yet the reasons for this disparity remain largely unexplored. “We hope that by studying hormonal variability and aspects of women’s health that have previously been dismissed, we may uncover clues to explain women’s greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” stated Prof. Anstey, who serves as the Director of the UNSW Ageing Futures Institute and Conjoint Senior Principal Research Scientist at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA).
Investigating Hormonal Influence on Brain Ageing
Prof. Anstey’s research will delve into how neuroendocrine factors, encompassing the complex hormonal changes throughout a woman’s life, influence dementia risk. These factors include key reproductive milestones such as the onset of menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, and the use of hormone-based treatments like contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
“What we need is really detailed research looking at the hormonal changes women go through and how that affects their brain and later their dementia risk,” Anstey emphasized. She noted that terms like ‘baby brain’ or menopausal ‘brain fog’ are often trivialized, yet they may hold significant insights into women’s cognitive health.
The research team plans to analyze existing biobanks and large cohorts to identify both risk and protective factors associated with hormonal changes. This effort aims to bridge the gap in understanding how hormonal exposure throughout life impacts brain health.
Towards Tailored Dementia Prevention
This project builds on existing global research, including findings from the Lancet Commission and the World Health Organisation Guidelines, which suggest that nearly half of all dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors. These include midlife hearing loss, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, and depression.
Prof. Anstey hopes her work will illuminate how these risk factors differ between men and women. “The field is moving rapidly, but we still see sex and gender statistically adjusted out of analyses and men and women effectively treated as if they are the same,” she remarked. “While we know that many risk factors for dementia are modifiable, the effect of each may not be the same in men and women. The more we can understand, the more we can intervene to prevent it.”
The research led by Prof. Anstey aims to achieve two main objectives: to enhance understanding of how to reduce dementia risk and to ensure women’s health receives equal emphasis in dementia research. “Overall, the most urgent priority is to learn how to reduce the risk of dementia and slow cognitive decline so that we can develop interventions to prevent it,” she said.
A Global Effort to Transform Dementia Research
The Wellcome Leap CARE initiative is dedicated to funding research that seeks to reverse or prevent the biological drivers of ageing, with a particular focus on brain health and resilience. This program supports projects that integrate advanced data science, longitudinal studies, and clinical research to translate discoveries into real-world interventions.
Prof. Anstey is among 16 international research leaders to receive funding under the US$50 million global program, which aims to halve the lifetime risk of Alzheimer’s disease in women. UNSW Dean of Science Professor Sven Rogge praised Prof. Anstey’s recognition from Wellcome Leap CARE, highlighting her expertise in dementia prevention and brain health. “Her research has the potential to transform our understanding of how biological and life-course factors unique to women shape their risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” Prof. Rogge stated.
The announcement comes as the scientific community continues to seek innovative approaches to tackling Alzheimer’s disease, with a growing emphasis on personalized medicine and gender-specific research. As Prof. Anstey and her team embark on this groundbreaking study, their findings could pave the way for new preventative strategies and interventions tailored specifically to women’s health needs.
