Prior infections are associated with smaller hippocampal volume in older women

• DOI: 10.3389/frdem.2024.1297193
• Publication Date: 2024-02-07T05:37:08Z
• Authors: Vladimir A. Popov; Svetlana Ukraintseva; Hongzhe Duan; Konstantin G. Arbeev; Anatoliy I. Yashin
• Keywords: memory; 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; hippocampus; verbal; aging; R; Medicine; Dementia; visual-spatial; infection

Accumulating evidence suggests that infections may play a major role in Alzheimer's disease (AD), however, mechanism is unclear, as multiple pathways be involved. One possibility could contribute to neurodegeneration directly by promoting neuronal death. We explored relationships between history of and brain hippocampal volume (HV), biomarker neurodegeneration, subsample the UK Biobank (UKB) participants. Infectious diagnoses were based on ICD10 codes. The left/right HV was measured magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cubic millimeters normalized. Analysis variance (ANOVA), Welch test, regression used examine statistical significance. found significantly lower women aged 60–75, well 65–80, years, with infections, compared same age without such history. effect size increased faster for left vs. right HV. Results males didn't reach our study support adult women. detrimental became stronger age, line declining resilience increasing vulnerability stressors due aging. increase observed indicate female verbal memory degrades over time than visual-spatial memory. sex difference reflect higher infection-related factors, which turn risk AD men.