Symposium 02: Current Directions in Women’s Neuropsychology Research
Authors: Sullivan-Baca Erin , Ellison Rachael 
Published: December 2023

Summary Abstract:

A longstanding trend of underrepresentation of women in pre-clinical and clinical research limits our understanding of women’s issues across several scientific fields, including neuropsychology and related disciplines. Highlighting this trend is the fact that only 2-6% of studies across major neuroscience journals over the last decade were conducted exclusively in women/females. This pattern of research limits our understanding of how women’s unique physiological, hormonal, psychiatric, and psychosocial presentations contribute to their brain health. Inclusion efforts aimed at increasing the study of more diverse populations have resulted in a nascent understanding of sex differences across several neuropsychological conditions, with implications for identification, prevention, and intervention efforts unique to women.

In this seminar, we highlight current efforts by neuropsychologists to expand research of women in order to enhance our understanding and clinical care of this population. Of note, we use the standardized term “women” to describe a biological category (females) and/or a self-identified gender trait, which varies depending on the scope of the research and data availability. We highlight five lines of women’s-focused research spanning epilepsy/seizure disorders, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and neurotoxicant exposure. In Dr. Sullivan-Baca’s presentation, ongoing lines of research into the clinical presentations of women with epilepsy are discussed. Findings highlight substantial psychiatric burden and unique medical factors to consider in women within this population. Dr. Jak’s presentation expands on concussion outcomes in women using the national FITBIR database and highlights a sex difference in postconcussive outcomes, with increased cognitive and somatic symptoms in women compared to men. Dr. Rapport and colleagues focus on the experience of menopause after TBI and discuss validation of a menopause symptom survey for TBI survivors. Dr. Sundermann’s presentation covers findings on women’s unique preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease trajectories. Dr. Krengel focuses on health trajectories for women Veterans exposed to neurotoxicants during the Gulf War and underlines sex differences in neuropsychological test performance. Through these presentations, our goal is both to inform and to inspire. Overall, we seek to orient members of our field to current directions in women’s research so they can better understand how women are differentially affected by neurological conditions. Clinically, we hope this knowledge will encourage neuropsychologists to understand how their women patients’ unique experiences of sex and gender contribute to their brain health. For researchers, we hope that attending this symposium will encourage pursuit of women’s-focused lines of inquiry. Furthermore, we hope to inspire training institutions to integrate this type of research more systematically into graduate student didactics and training, particularly for those students in neuropsychology-focused training.