NEW JERSEY — Rutgers University’s Brain Health Institute has launched a new Women’s Brain Health Initiative aimed at addressing longstanding gaps in research and public understanding of women’s brain health across all stages of life.
University officials said the initiative will focus on advancing research into how biological transitions such as puberty, pregnancy, motherhood, menopause and aging affect brain health, while also providing science-based educational resources for women and their families.
According to Rutgers, women have historically been underrepresented in medical research and clinical trials, resulting in significant gaps in scientific knowledge about women’s brain function, neurological disorders and long-term brain health outcomes.
The initiative will build on the Brain Health Institute’s existing work in neurodevelopment, neurodegeneration and mental health disorders.
“Women’s brain health has been ignored for decades — that time is coming to an end,” said Gary Aston-Jones, director of the Brain Health Institute.
He said the institute and other research organizations “are extending efforts to reverse this oversight.”
Aston-Jones added that this focus by the institute “represents incredible opportunities not only for women’s brain health, but for all brain health. By focusing on women’s specific issues, we are confident that we will discover new insights into brain mechanisms in general. These new findings will benefit brain health for everyone.”
Researchers note that women experience higher rates of several neurological and mental health conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, depression, anxiety disorders, migraines, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders and chronic pain conditions. Women account for nearly two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. At the same time, women often show greater resilience to certain conditions, including stroke, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson’s disease.
Rutgers officials said the initiative will support laboratory and clinical research, translate scientific findings into accessible public resources and increase awareness of how biological changes unique to women affect brain health throughout life.
The program’s goals include supporting research into women’s brain health challenges, providing community education resources, promoting informed health decisions and expanding public understanding of female brain health.
The initiative is led by Ioana Carcea, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a core faculty member at the Brain Health Institute. Carcea’s research focuses on how biological states and life experiences influence social behavior, maternal behavior and long-term brain health.
“Women’s physiology poses unique challenges to brain function and behavior. Across puberty, pregnancy and menopause, the female brain undergoes extraordinary biological transitions that shape vulnerability and resilience to mental and neurological disorders,” Carcea said. “Now we have the tools, the knowledge and the will to understand how the female brain navigates multiple profound transitions across the lifespan. I am excited for the WBHI to be at the forefront of this emerging area of research.”
As part of the initiative, Rutgers plans to highlight faculty research, host guest speakers and develop research-based public resources focused on women’s brain health. The program’s inaugural spotlight features the work of Rutgers psychologist Tracey Shors, whose research emphasizes the brain’s resilience and capacity for recovery following stress and trauma.
