A study in mice and human brain tissue by researchers at Case Western Reserve University has uncovered a mechanism that may explain the sex-based differences in Alzheimer’s disease, and also suggest why females are more vulnerable. The work found that compared with male brains, female brains express higher levels of an X-linked enzyme called ubiquitin-specific peptidase 11 (USP11), resulting in greater accumulation of a protein called tau. The team’s experiments also showed that genetic elimination of usp11 in a tauopathy mouse model preferentially protected females from tau pathology, and cognitive impairment.”
