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| Laura Cox, PhD | Rosalind Lai, MD |
Laura Cox, PhD, of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, and Rosalind Lai, MD, of the Department of Neurosurgery, were selected for the BWH Women’s Brain Initiative (WBI) Research Fellowship Program, which awards $50,000 per-annum grants for two years to junior investigators pursuing research related to women’s brain health.
Women have higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease than men, and the gut microbiota can regulate hormones, which may be important for understanding this difference. Cox’s project, “Sex-dependent role of the intestinal microbiota in Alzheimer’s disease,” will examine the role of the gut microbiome in Alzheimer’s disease and identify microbes and microbial metabolites associated with Alzheimer’s disease in men and women.
Cerebral aneurysms are more prevalent in post-menopausal women and are largely asymptomatic, but can be fatal when they rupture. Lai’s study, “Risk factors for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in women,” will focus on identifying the relationship between estrogens and associated risk factors in ruptured brain aneurysms to identify targeted markers to predicting, and ultimately preventing, these life-threatening events.
The Women’s Brain Initiative seeks to advance our understanding of how sex differences may affect the risk of disease, prevalence, progression and treatment of neurologic and psychiatric disorders and related conditions involving the nervous system. The WBI aims to involve investigators and physicians from across the Brigham who specialize or have strong interest in neuroscience and women’s brain health.
