Transcriptomic analysis reveals suppression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein in gender-specific differences in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related dementia preferentially impacts two-thirds of women and one-third of men. The steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein mediates the biosynthesis of neurosteroids that sustain diverse neuronal activities. Aging, involving neurosteroidal imbalance, is the predominant risk factor for AD causing dementia. Transcriptomic analysis, including clinical cognitive diagnosis (cogdx) stages, displays marked attenuation of StAR in brains of AD women than those of AD men, compared with cognitively normal (Non-AD) subjects. The present data provide the first evidence and new insights into the mechanism exemplifying the suppression of StAR in gender-specific differences in AD.