User:Christopherson94/Sex differences in memory

Alzheimer's Disease
As men and women age, dementia become more likely to manifest. Dementia has been reported to affect up to 5% of people over the age of 65. Of the different types of dementia, Alzheimer's Disease is the most common, accounting for up to 65% of dementia cases. Research into the disease is ongoing, but there appears to be evidence supporting the claim that Alzheimer's manifests differently between the sexes.

Multiple studies have found that there is a significant difference in the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease that affect the sexes. Some of these Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) include depression, anxiety, dysphoria, nighttime disturbances, and aggression. Several recent studies have found that women tend to exhibit symptoms such as depression and anxiety more often than men. One study has even gone as far as to suggest that having depression at any point during midlife increases chances of Alzheimer’s Disease developing later by up to 70%. Men, on the other hand, exhibit symptoms such as aggression and other socially inappropriate behaviors more often. In addition, it has been found that men are more likely to have coronary artery disease which has been known to damage the blood brain barrier (BBB) by causing micro vascular lesions. Damage to the blood brain barrier seems to be connected to cognitive decline and several forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease. There are many other factors that may determine the frequency or severity of symptoms between the sexes. For example, a male may show more aggressive tendencies because of genetic predisposition, higher levels of testosterone, or learned behaviors through social interactions.

Another contributing factor to differences in Alzheimer’s progression between the sexes may be socioeconomic status (SES). Men, historically, have had better opportunities to obtain an education and increase their SES. In recent years, women are being afforded many of the same opportunities, which may explain why there appears to be a decrease of instances of dementia in women that are related to SES factors.

While the differences in observable symptoms for men and women appear to be significant, treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease does not show any tendency to work better for one sex over the other.