Scientia Prof Kaarin Anstey (University of NSW)

Title: Disaggregating by sex and gender sheds new light on cognitive ageing and dementia risk

Abstract:

There is now a well established body of literature on modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). However, most findings have been reported in aggregate, without considering whether effects different by sex and or gender. This is a critical problem for the field because of the far higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease in women. In this presentation I will discuss epidemiological research and population modelling on the prevalence and risk factors for ADRD in terms of sex and gender and identify strengths and weakness of this approach. I will then describe the role of research that focusses on the individual including cohort studies and clinical trials, as well as mechanistic research. From this I will describe consistent sex differences in cognitive abilities over the adult life course, as well as sex differences in dementia risk factors, the association of female neuroendocrine factors with cognitive decline and incident dementia, the effects of APOE genotype, as well as sex differences in the accumulation of tau and amyloid pathology. I will also describe recent frameworks for differentiating sex and gender in cognitive ageing research.

Bio:
Kaarin Anstey is a Scientia Professor of Psychology at the University of New South Wales, Director of the UNSW Ageing Futures Institute and Senior Principal Research Scientist at Neuroscience Research Australia. She held an ARC Laureate Fellowship 2020-2025 focusing on cognitive resilience in ageing. Anstey conducts research in the fields of dementia epidemiology, risk reduction, and cognitive aging and has developed evidence-based, dementia risk assessment tools that are used in clinical practice and research, including the ANU-ADRI and the CogDrisk. She currently leads two clinical trials focussing on risk reduction in in people with mild cognitive disorders, a program of research on women’s brain health and the app-based Resilient Minds study. Anstey is a member of the World Dementia Council, and a member of the World Health Organisation Guideline Development Group for risk reduction. In 2025 she was awarded the NSW Premier’s Award for Excellence in Biological and Medical Science.