LINKING ESTROGEN TO ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE - AN INFORMATICS APPROACH

Epidemiologic studies suggest that estrogen protects against AD. We em ploy ARROWSMITH, a novel computer-assisted approach, to identify possi ble links between estrogen and AD that are not explicit in the biomedi cal literature, by searching for substances or processes that are know n targets of estrogen action and that have also been separately studie d in relation to AD. Several links appear particularly promising (e.g. , estrogen's antioxidant activity) and merit attention by neuroscienti sts.