High Midlife Cortisol Tied to Later Risk for Alzheimer Disease in Postmenopausal Women
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 -- Postmenopausal women with high midlife cortisol have an increased risk for Alzheimer disease (AD), according to a study published online April 24 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Arash Salardini, M.D., from the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's & Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Texas Health San Antonio, and colleagues investigated whether midlife cortisol levels predict the AD biomarker burden 15 years later. The analysis included 305 cognitively unimpaired participants in the Framingham Heart Study.
The researchers found that elevated midlife cortisol correlated with increased amyloid deposition in postmenopausal women, with deposition predominantly in posterior cingulate, precuneus, and frontal-lateral regions. There were no significant associations with tau burden or in men.
"Our findings suggest a potential sex-specific mechanism linking cortisol dysregulation to early amyloid deposition, particularly in postmenopausal women," the authors write. "The work reinforces the importance of considering sex and hormonal status in understanding AD pathogenesis and suggests that stress reduction and hormonal interventions may hold promise for AD prevention, especially in at-risk women. Longitudinal follow-up of our cohort will be crucial to determine whether these early amyloid changes translate into clinical symptoms and to clarify the causal role of cortisol in AD development."
Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies; one author has a study-related patent pending.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted May 2025
Read this next
Risk for Dementia, Ischemic Stroke, Mortality Lower With GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in T2D, Obesity
TUESDAY, July 22, 2025 -- For adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are associated with a lower risk for dementia, stroke...
Dementia Risk Does Not Differ With GLP-1 RAs, DPP4is for Seniors With T2DM
MONDAY, July 21, 2025 -- For older adults with diabetes, there is no clear evidence to suggest that the incidence of dementia differs for those using glucagon-like peptide 1...
Few Discontinuation Symptoms Reported After Stopping Antidepressants
THURSDAY, July 17, 2025 -- Most individuals do not go through severe withdrawal after discontinuing antidepressants, according to a study published online July 9 in JAMA...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.