Women’s better memories may delay Alzheimer’s diagnosis by years
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- Women maintain normal verbal memory test scores for an average of 2.7 years longer than men despite similar Alzheimer’s pathology (amyloid accumulation).
- Sasha Novozhilova and colleagues at McGill University analyzed two large longitudinal US/Canadian studies using a 15‑word list test to assess early cognitive decline.
- Cognitive reserve in women, linked to higher baseline verbal memory and greater brain connectivity, can mask early disease until it abruptly fails.
- Lecanemab and other anti‑amyloid drugs like donanemab need early treatment, but women’s delayed diagnosis may limit their benefit.
- Ralph Martins (Edith Cowan University) notes that gender differences in Alzheimer’s are a major issue that current diagnostic thresholds may overlook.
Why it matters: Women with early Alzheimer’s lose timely access to disease‑modifying drugs like lecanemab, while clinicians and insurers miss opportunities to intervene sooner, potentially increasing long‑term care costs and reducing drug trial success rates.
