How inflammation and reproductive milestones can shape women’s Alzheimer’s risk
Laura Stankeviciute, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, have received a 2-year Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship for All (AARFA) to conduct further research on women’s risks for Alzheimer’s disease.
“For too long, we have been without adequate research data and answers about women’s health. I feel there is a real hunger for more research from this perspective, both in my own and many other fields within the life sciences,” Laura said.
Laura Stankeviciute is part of Prof. Michael Schöll’s group, and was one of the presenters during the Research Day on Women’s health earlier this autumn, arranged by Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational medicine (WCMTM).
“Looking at your data through a sex-stratified lens can reveal differences that might otherwise remain hidden. At the same time, you can enrich your analysis and open up new questions and discoveries,” Laura said.
Her research centres on identifying and characterising risk factors for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, with a particular focus on sleep and female-specific biological vulnerability as the main risk exposures.
Project for mapping of proteins
Laura recently received a 2-year Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship for All (AARFA) to conduct further research specifically on women’s risks for Alzheimer’s, where she will focus on inflammatory and reproductive pathways.
“While much research tends to explain women’s higher risk of Alzheimer’s in relation to menopause, I have been curious to find out what other factors and events throughout life may contribute to this higher risk. I believe that reducing an entire life, and the complexity of the human body, to a single event such as menopause risks leaving the fuller picture incomplete.”
That is why Laura, in this new project, is interested in taking a step back in the lifespan.
“I will be looking more broadly into reproductive, endocrine and pregnancy-related conditions, such as thyroid disorder, preeclampsia, and premature menopause, to see if these reproductive milestones may also contribute to the increased female susceptibility to develop Alzheimer’s disease.”
The project, starting in December, will map inflammatory proteins linked to female-specific conditions that may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Around 250 proteins from blood samples will be examined using state-of-the-art, highly sensitive technology.
Laura’s research tries to understand how cumulative reproductive exposures, spanning from menarche, pregnancy, endocrine conditions and menopausal transition, shape Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology and cognitive decline across the lifespan. Her particular interest lies in inflammation and neuroinflammation as potential biological mechanisms underlying both female-specific Alzheimer’s disease vulnerability and the relationship between sleep disturbance and Alzheimer’s disease.
Michael Schöll group’s REAL AD study – a longitudinal study that aims to advance early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease with a combination of blood tests and digital tests of thinking capacities – has now been expanded, and a new substudy, REAL AD Sleep, has been recently launched with 40 participants already recruited. This new project designed and co-led by Laura, is dedicated to understanding how sleep and circadian rhythms change with age and how these changes relate to indicators of Alzheimer's disease and thinking abilities.