Alzheimer’s disease (AD) disproportionately affects women, possibly due to earlier tau accumulation. However, the biological mechanisms underlying this sex-specific vulnerability remain unclear. To address this gap, a study has examined the impact of menopausal hormone therapy (HT) on amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau accumulation in 146 healthy women aged 51-89 years. The study found that HT use was linked to faster tau accumulation in older women (>70 years) compared to non-users, 14 years after initiation.
This accumulation was localized to the entorhinal cortex and the inferior temporal and fusiform gyri, indirectly contributing to cognitive decline. In contrast, younger women (<70 years) exhibited negligible HT-related tau accumulation. These findings suggest an age-dependent effect of HT on AD-related pathology, potentially influencing disease progression. Did you find this article…
