‘X’ Marks the Spot in Female Longevity and Cognitive Aging

Age-related cognitive decline is a major biomedical challenge with no effective medical treatments. Aging affects men and women differently. On average, most women live longer than men worldwide and, in many populations, experience less cognitive decline.

In this lecture, Dena Dubal will discuss the role sex chromosomes play in the aging process. Her group has shown that sex chromosomes contribute to female longevity and resilience in aging and age-related neurodegenerative disease. Specifically, the second X chromosome appears to confer resilience to mortality and to certain aspects of aging. Her group is searching for the fundamental biology that underlies female longevity with the hope to unravel novel targets for aging and disease that could benefit everyone. Their initial clues point to the second X chromosome as a source for new biological pathways that could be harnessed to help both men and women toward the goal of successful brain aging.

Dubal is a physician-scientist and an associate professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, and holds an endowed chair in aging and neurodegenerative disease. Dubal received her M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. She completed a medical internship and neurology specialty training at UCSF, where she served as chief resident. She directs a laboratory focused on mechanisms of longevity and brain resilience that integrates genetic and molecular approaches to investigate aging, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Her discoveries have been profiled in high-impact media such as NPR, Time, the Economist, and The New York Times. She has hosted an “Ask me Anything Series” on Reddit for cognitive enhancement and is a source for KQED and Science.  Her work is recognized for its potential for therapies to live longer and better. Among her honors, Dubal received the NIA/AFAR Paul Beeson Award for Aging Research, the Glenn Award in Biologic Mechanisms of Aging, the Grass Award in Neuroscience, and the Neuroendocrine Research Award. She serves in the leadership of JAMA Neurology and is on the board of the American Neurological Association.