Some Israeli researchers say that they have discovered a mechanism in the brains of Alzheimer’s female patients that leads to rapid cognitive deterioration.
“Females with Alzheimer’s disease suffer accelerated dementia and loss of cholinergic neurons compared to males, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown”, the researchers said.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem said in a statement that the discovery provided that the first molecular explanation for the accelerated cognitive damage occurred in the brains of women with Alzheimer’s disease.
It also paved the way for the development of medicine suitable for female patients, the statement said.
According to the statement, in a new study, led by the university and published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the team deciphered why the dementia indicators rise much faster and stronger in women than in men.
Their study found for the first time a direct link between a family of mitochondrial-originated RNA fragments and the rate of dementia progression in women.
The findings indicate that severe depletion of mitochondrial RNA fragments in the affected brain nuclei correlates with the rapid deterioration of cognitive abilities in women with Alzheimer’s.
Experts find out that mitochondrial disease occurs when the mitochondria in the cells are not producing enough energy.
According to them, mitochondria are membrane-bound cell organelles that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions.
The findings have implications for treating these symptoms by RNA-based therapies, which emerged in recent years and now present a viable option, the researchers said.(Xinhua/NAN)
