Exploring the complexities of dementia risk in females: role of pregnancy history and the gut-brain axis
Project Overview
Women have a higher lifetime risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and tend to show more Alzheimer’s-related changes in the brain. This increased risk seems to be linked to factors unique to females, like menopause and their reproductive history. For instance, the number of pregnancies a woman has had can affect her chances of developing AD after menopause. However, we still don’t understand the biological reasons why pregnancy history impacts brain function and AD risk.
We believe that gut health — which depends on the kinds of microbes living in our digestive system — may play a role in how past pregnancies affect brain health after menopause. Research shows that menopause and AD can both impact gut health by changing these microbes. So, we’re exploring whether a woman’s pregnancy history could influence brain health after menopause, especially in those at higher risk for AD, through changes in their gut.
We will study gut health by measuring the types of microbes in stool samples from 300 women with a family history of dementia already enrolled in a menopause study. Pregnancy history will be assessed by questionnaire. Brain health will be evaluated with thinking and memory tests and measuring brain blood flow during these tests. This is the first study to explore how factors unique to women, like pregnancy history, interact with brain and gut health.
By revealing how pregnancy history affects brain health in women at higher risk of Alzheimer’s, this research challenges the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to women’s brain health and dementia risk. These insights will help develop more effective, personalized lifestyle and medical interventions, potentially improving care and outcomes for females at risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Accurately identifying individuals at higher risk for dementia can lead to more targeted prevention and treatment efforts, benefiting both people living with dementia and their caregivers. This project aims to uncover how pregnancy history and gut health influence brain aging after menopause, allowing for a more personalized approach to healthy aging. By understanding their unique risk factors, individuals can adopt lifestyle and medical strategies that may improve brain health and delay the onset of dementia.
Principal Investigator
Cindy Barha , University of Calgary
Team Members
Raylene Reimer, University of Calgary
Partners and Donors
Alzheimer Society of Canada