Ofori Edward, Solis Anamaria, Punjani Nahid
College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA.
Department of Social Work, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
Brain Sci. 2024 Mar 14;14(3):276. doi: 10.3390/brainsci14030276.
This study investigates the sex-specific role of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal axis in Alzheimer's disease progression, utilizing ADNI1 data for 493 individuals, analyzing plasma levels of gonadotropic and sex hormones, and examining neurodegeneration-related brain structures. We assessed plasma levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), progesterone (P4), and testosterone (T), along with volumetric measures of the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and hypothalamic subunits, to explore their correlation with Alzheimer's disease markers across different cognitive statuses and sexes. Significant cognitive status effects were observed for all volumetric measures, with a distinct sex-by-cognitive status interaction for hypothalamic volume, indicating a decrease in males but not in females across cognitive impairment stages. Regression analyses showed specific hypothalamic subunit volume related to hormone levels, accounting for up to approximately 40% of the variance ( < 0.05). The findings highlight sex differences in neurodegeneration and hormonal regulation, suggesting potential for personalized treatments and advancing the understanding of Alzheimer's disease etiology.
本研究利用493名个体的阿尔茨海默病神经影像学倡议（ADNI1）数据，分析促性腺激素和性激素的血浆水平，并检查与神经退行性变相关的脑结构，以研究下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴在阿尔茨海默病进展中的性别特异性作用。我们评估了促卵泡激素（FSH）、促黄体生成素（LH）、孕酮（P4）和睾酮（T）的血浆水平，以及海马体、内嗅皮质和下丘脑亚单位的体积测量值，以探讨它们与不同认知状态和性别的阿尔茨海默病标志物之间的相关性。所有体积测量均观察到显著的认知状态效应，下丘脑体积存在明显的性别×认知状态交互作用，表明在认知障碍阶段男性下丘脑体积减小而女性没有。回归分析显示特定下丘脑亚单位体积与激素水平相关，可解释高达约40%的方差（<0.05）。这些发现突出了神经退行性变和激素调节中的性别差异，提示个性化治疗的潜力，并增进了对阿尔茨海默病病因的理解。
