Risk architecture for altered hippocampal connectivity in normal aging differ between men and women

• DOI: 10.1002/alz.073023
• Publication Date: 2023-12-25T12:04:45Z
• Authors: Noah Schweitzer; Jinghang Li; Brian J Lopresti; William E Klunk; Beth E. Snitz; Dana Tudorascu; Ann D. Cohen; M. Ilyas Kamboh; Edye Halligan; Rebecca C Thurston; Victor L Villemagne; Bistra Iordanova; Howard J Aizenstein; Minjie Wu
• Keywords: 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine

Abstract Background Functional MRI (fMRI) studies have associated impaired memory networks with increase in AD pathology. Recently, cross‐sectional analyses found b‐amyloid (Aβ) deposition different patterns of hippocampal connectivity a task based on sex and white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV). However, don’t provide insight into the driving mechanisms network change. In this longitudinal study, we identify risk factors that are changes. Method Our study included 54 cognitively normal older adults (N = 34 female, mean age 74.6 years) scans average 2.43 (SD 0.82) years apart. T1w, T2‐FLAIR MRI, PiB PET were collected to quantify cortical volume, WMHV Aβ deposition, respectively. Task fMRI was while participants performed face‐name associative tasks. Left right hippocampus seeds used estimate functional between voxels brain. Second‐level determine regions interest (ROI) significant differences by time interaction (p<0.001). The beta values extracted from ROIs for post‐hoc analysis where multivariate linear regression find correlations change (follow‐up minus baseline). Result Three presented interactions: left‐right hippocampus, hippocampus‐anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), hippocampus‐medial frontal gyrus. increased women decreased men (Fig.1). For other ROIs, (Fig.2). Left‐right had sex‐WMHV effect (p<0.01), only positive association baseline WMHV. Hippocampus‐ACC sex‐Aβ greater women. Conclusion We observed sex‐differences architecture altered connectivity. presence vascular pathology Aβ, appear experience local decrease hippocampal‐frontal Meanwhile, experienced burden. Characterizing these alterations can help guide development sex‐specific prevention treatment strategies.