Grant: Project Grant

Women are at higher risk of acquiring Alzheimer's disease (AD). Differences in cellular mechanisms (genetics, metabolism), hormonal changes, and/or lifestyle factors between men and women may be at the root cause, but no one knows for sure. The main objective of this proposal is to study sex-based differences in brain energy metabolism, including mitochondrial function in two widely used and relevant transgenic mouse models of AD and in a senescence accelerated mouse model (i.e., accelerated aging). Our preliminary data strongly support the notion that females are affected by alterations in energy metabolism earlier than males. Such an approach has great promise for identifying novel therapeutic targets (i.e., mitochondrial medicine) for women and enacting preventative measures for preventing AD in women. The results may also be generalizable to men and for other dementias and/or other neurological disorders.