Sex-specific association of sex hormones and gonadotropins, with brain amyloid and hippocampal neurodegeneration

Publication date: October 2017
Source:Neurobiology of Aging, Volume 58
Author(s): Jun Ho Lee, Min Soo Byun, Dahyun Yi, Young Min Choe, Hyo Jung Choi, Hyewon Baek, Bo Kyung Sohn, Jun-Young Lee, Hyun Jung Kim, Jee Wook Kim, Younghwa Lee, Yu Kyeong Kim, Chul-Ho Sohn, Jong Inn Woo, Dong Young Lee
This study aimed to examine the sex-specific association between serum sex hormones and gonadotropins and the cerebral beta-amyloid (Aβ) burden and hippocampal neurodegeneration in subjects with normal cognition and impaired cognition. Two hundred sixty-five older subjects received clinical assessments, serum measurements of sex hormones, gonadotropins, ¹¹C-Pittsburgh compound B-positron emission tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. In females, higher free testosterone and gonadotropin levels were associated with lower cerebral Aβ positivity. In males, free testosterone was positively related to hippocampal volume with significant interaction with cognitive status. Further subgroup analyses showed that the association was significant only in impaired cognition but not in normal cognition. Free estradiol was not associated with Aβ burden or hippocampal neurodegeneration in either sex. These results suggest that testosterone might inhibit the early pathological accumulation of Aβ in females and delay neurodegeneration in males.



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