My post from last Thursday, 06/25/15, left me wanting to find more answers, as nothing had really been resolved; I really wanted to understand why there were dementia differences between males and females, and how this could happen. After posting, I began digging more. There were some "Duhr!" moments which had me slapping myself upside the head (sometimes we can be so focused we can't see the apple for the leaf). And, what I discovered was exactly what I had hoped for for that previous blogpost.
Although men tend to conveniently die before their spouses this doesn't really answer the questions about why more women are more prone to Alzheimer's than men, and why more men develop Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia than women.
Did you know it has to do with brain size and sex hormones, perhaps?! I really want to insert an "Oooo! La! La!" here, but I won't. It would seem a little inappropriate - or would it? It may also have something to do with Education, Smoking, Caffiene Intake, and Depression; or at least that's what one of the studies said.
The Risks for AD and LBD are varied. For example, Education and Smoking have opposing effects on AD and PD, but aren't neccesarily risks for LBD . But, Depression and Low-Caffiene intake which are risk factors for both Parkinson's (PD) and Alzheimer's (AD) increase the risk for Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) (Risk Factors for Dementia with Lewy Bodies: a case-control study, 6/2015).
Also, did you realize that being a caregiver for a patient who suffers from dementia increases your chances of developing the ailment, as well as possibly decreasing your longevity by 6-8 years? I suppose it's the stress. This will need to be another focus of a post in the near future.
Anyhow, back to men and women.
It was first thought that men had a highter rate of MCI than women, but further studies conflicted in their reporting, so this is at something of a stalemate. This is a condition that rests between normal aging and dementia. Approximately 10-20% of the population experience this state after 65 years of age.
Did you also realize that for approximately 12 years your brain begins to shrink? It does. And this is one of the problems with aging and dementia. AS your brain diminishes it can't take "insults" (or attacks) as well as it did while it was still fresh, pliant, and young.
Now, it was thought that women comprised 2/3 of the AD population. Well, this may be true, despite the numbers in various studies. You see, since women somehow outlive men, the progression of the disease happens to those who are still standing, while those who die earlier cannot be stricken. So they say.
Now, men tend to have larger skulls than women, which allows for more brain reserves (the brain's capacity to reslience of damages). Men do, however, tend to have much faster age-associated volume decline in men for a normal grouping (Clinical Epidemiology of Alzheimer's Disease: .assessing sex and gender differences. 01/2014.). However, women who have been diagnosed with MCI or AD tend to have a much more rapid decline in brain size than men. Women may have more grey matter in specific regions of the brain, as well, whereas men tend to have more white matter in those regions.
What's the difference between white matter and grey matter, you ask? Well, White Matter has to do with how the brain learns and functions, and transmits that information as a relay to other portions of the brain. Grey Matter deals with processing and cognition. This helps understand some of the gender differences in thinking and processing, and while it's understood that there is an interplay of sex hormones and chromosom
es, just how they interact with the brain is still not completely understood.
And, to be honest, this seems more than enough for a post. I will let you off at this corner while I will continue on with more research and look for more ways to comprehend this little conundrum for my sake, as well as yours.
Till then, have a wonderful and fulfilling day.
Next Time: A continuation of understanding the gender differences with dementia...perhaps more questions answered and more understanding of the process.
See: Gender Differences in Dementia...Even More Research...Part C/D 07/01/2015
Although men tend to conveniently die before their spouses this doesn't really answer the questions about why more women are more prone to Alzheimer's than men, and why more men develop Parkinson's and Lewy Body Dementia than women.
Did you know it has to do with brain size and sex hormones, perhaps?! I really want to insert an "Oooo! La! La!" here, but I won't. It would seem a little inappropriate - or would it? It may also have something to do with Education, Smoking, Caffiene Intake, and Depression; or at least that's what one of the studies said.
The Risks for AD and LBD are varied. For example, Education and Smoking have opposing effects on AD and PD, but aren't neccesarily risks for LBD . But, Depression and Low-Caffiene intake which are risk factors for both Parkinson's (PD) and Alzheimer's (AD) increase the risk for Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) (Risk Factors for Dementia with Lewy Bodies: a case-control study, 6/2015).
Also, did you realize that being a caregiver for a patient who suffers from dementia increases your chances of developing the ailment, as well as possibly decreasing your longevity by 6-8 years? I suppose it's the stress. This will need to be another focus of a post in the near future.
Anyhow, back to men and women.
It was first thought that men had a highter rate of MCI than women, but further studies conflicted in their reporting, so this is at something of a stalemate. This is a condition that rests between normal aging and dementia. Approximately 10-20% of the population experience this state after 65 years of age.
Did you also realize that for approximately 12 years your brain begins to shrink? It does. And this is one of the problems with aging and dementia. AS your brain diminishes it can't take "insults" (or attacks) as well as it did while it was still fresh, pliant, and young.
Now, it was thought that women comprised 2/3 of the AD population. Well, this may be true, despite the numbers in various studies. You see, since women somehow outlive men, the progression of the disease happens to those who are still standing, while those who die earlier cannot be stricken. So they say.
Now, men tend to have larger skulls than women, which allows for more brain reserves (the brain's capacity to reslience of damages). Men do, however, tend to have much faster age-associated volume decline in men for a normal grouping (Clinical Epidemiology of Alzheimer's Disease: .assessing sex and gender differences. 01/2014.). However, women who have been diagnosed with MCI or AD tend to have a much more rapid decline in brain size than men. Women may have more grey matter in specific regions of the brain, as well, whereas men tend to have more white matter in those regions.
What's the difference between white matter and grey matter, you ask? Well, White Matter has to do with how the brain learns and functions, and transmits that information as a relay to other portions of the brain. Grey Matter deals with processing and cognition. This helps understand some of the gender differences in thinking and processing, and while it's understood that there is an interplay of sex hormones and chromosom
 |
| Grey matter and White Matter |
And, to be honest, this seems more than enough for a post. I will let you off at this corner while I will continue on with more research and look for more ways to comprehend this little conundrum for my sake, as well as yours.
Till then, have a wonderful and fulfilling day.
Next Time: A continuation of understanding the gender differences with dementia...perhaps more questions answered and more understanding of the process.
See: Gender Differences in Dementia...Even More Research...Part C/D 07/01/2015
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