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55/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 55 out of 100. Biomarkers

Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models

Importance Female sex is a major risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD), and sex hormones have been implicated as a possible protective factor. Neuroimaging studies that evaluated the effects of sex hormones on brain integrity have primarily emphasized neurodegenerative measures rather than amyloid and tau burden. Objective We compared cortical amyloid and regional tau positron emission tomography (PET) deposition between cognitively normal males and females. We also compared preclinical AD pathology between females who have and have not used hormone therapy (HT). Finally, we compared the effects of amyloid and tau pathology on cognition, testing for both sex and HT effects. Design, setting, and participants We analyzed amyloid, tau, and cognition in a cognitively normal cross-sectional cohort of older individuals (n=148) followed at the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center. Amyloid and tau PET, medication history, and neuropsychological testing were obtained for each participant. Results Within cognitively normal individuals, there was no difference in amyloid burden by sex. Whether or not we controlled for amyloid burden, female participants had significantly higher tau PET levels than males in multiple regions, including the rostral middle frontal and superior and middle temporal regions. HT accounted for a small reduction in tau PET; however, males still had substantially lower tau PET compared with females. Amyloid PET and tau PET burden were negatively associated with cognitive performance, although increasing amyloid PET did not have a deleterious effect on cognitive performance for women with a history of HT. Conclusions and relevance Regional sex-related differences in tau PET burden may contribute to the disparities in AD prevalence between males and females. The observed decreases tau PET burden in HT users has important implications for clinical practice and trials and deserves future consideration in longitudinal studies.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Wisch, J. K., Meeker, K. L., Gordon, B. A., Flores, S., Dincer, A., Grant, E. A., et al. (2021). Sex-related Differences in Tau Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and the Effects of Hormone Therapy (HT). Alzheimer disease and associated disorders. https://doi.org/10.1097/wad.0000000000000393

Vancouver

Wisch JK, Meeker KL, Gordon BA, Flores S, Dincer A, Grant EA, et al. Sex-related Differences in Tau Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and the Effects of Hormone Therapy (HT). Alzheimer disease and associated disorders. 2021. doi:10.1097/wad.0000000000000393. PMID: 32520734.

BibTeX

@article{wisch2021-32520734,
  author  = {Wisch, J. K. and Meeker, K. L. and Gordon, B. A. and Flores, S. and Dincer, A. and Grant, E. A. and Benzinger, T. L. and Morris, J. C. and others},
  title   = {{Sex-related Differences in Tau Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and the Effects of Hormone Therapy (HT)}},
  journal = {Alzheimer disease and associated disorders},
  year    = {2021},
  doi     = {10.1097/wad.0000000000000393},
  pmid    = {32520734},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1097/wad.0000000000000393}
}

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Key findings

Results Within cognitively normal individuals, there was no difference in amyloid burden by sex.
Whether or not we controlled for amyloid burden, female participants had significantly higher tau PET levels than males in multiple regions, including the rostral middle frontal and superior and middle temporal regions.
HT accounted for a small reduction in tau PET; however, males still had substantially lower tau PET compared with females.
Amyloid PET and tau PET burden were negatively associated with cognitive performance, although increasing amyloid PET did not have a deleterious effect on cognitive performance for women with a history of HT.

Why it matters

In 148 cognitively normal older adults at one research centre, women and men had the same amount of amyloid, yet women had "significantly higher tau PET levels than males in multiple regions" — whether or not amyloid was taken into account. Women who had used hormone therapy showed "a small reduction in tau PET," but men "still had substantially lower tau PET." This is a one-time snapshot, not a trial: it suggests why Alzheimer's is more common in women but does not show that hormone therapy prevents it, and the authors call for longitudinal studies.

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Study details

Study designcross-sectional
Participants148
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 55/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer disease and associated disorders)
Journal's citation record	1 / 4	Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders: journal h-index 131 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	4 / 12	A snapshot of people at one point in time
Strength of evidence	3 / 5	Rated “moderate” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	3 / 5	2021 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	148 participants
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	4 / 7	Cited 56 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	3 / 5	8.0 citations a year over 7 year(s) since 2021
Impact for its field and year	3 / 6	Cited 4.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	2 / 6	Cited by 7 other studies in this library
Still being cited	2 / 4	Cited 30 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	3 / 4	Last-listed author Beau M. Ances: h-index 81 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 32520734)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	55 / 100	—

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