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Mosconi L, Williams S, Carlton C, Zarate C, Boneu C, Fauci F, Ajila T, Nerattini M, Jett S, Andy C, Battista M, Pahlajani S, Osborne J, Brinton RD, Dyke JP. Sex-specific associations of serum cortisol with brain biomarkers of Alzheimer's risk. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5519. [PMID: 38448497 PMCID: PMC10918173 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56071-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence implicates chronic psychological stress as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Herein, we examined the relationships between serum cortisol and multimodality brain AD biomarkers in 277 cognitively normal midlife individuals at risk for AD. Overall, higher cortisol was associated with lower total brain volume, lower glucose metabolism (CMRglc) in frontal cortex, and higher β-amyloid (Aβ) load in AD-vulnerable regions; and marginally associated with phosphocreatine to ATP ratios (PCr/ATP) in precuneus and parietal regions. Sex-specific modification effects were noted: in women, cortisol exhibited stronger associations with Aβ load and frontal CMRglc, the latter being more pronounced postmenopause. In men, cortisol exhibited stronger associations with gray matter volume and PCr/ATP measures. Higher cortisol was associated with poorer delayed memory in men but not in women. Results were adjusted for age, Apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon 4 status, midlife health factors, and hormone therapy use. These results suggest sex-specific neurophysiological responses to stress, and support a role for stress reduction in AD prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Mosconi
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA.
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Schantel Williams
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Caroline Carlton
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Camila Zarate
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Camila Boneu
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Francesca Fauci
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Trisha Ajila
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Matilde Nerattini
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
- Department of Clinical Pathophysiology, Nuclear Medicine Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Steven Jett
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Caroline Andy
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael Battista
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Silky Pahlajani
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joseph Osborne
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Roberta Diaz Brinton
- Department of Neurology and Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Jonathan P Dyke
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Andy C, Nerattini M, Jett S, Carlton C, Zarate C, Boneu C, Fauci F, Ajila T, Battista M, Pahlajani S, Christos P, Fink ME, Williams S, Brinton RD, Mosconi L. Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of menopause hormone therapy on cognition. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 15:1350318. [PMID: 38501109 PMCID: PMC10944893 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1350318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Despite evidence from preclinical studies suggesting estrogen's neuroprotective effects, the use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) to support cognitive function remains controversial. Methods We used random-effect meta-analysis and multi-level meta-regression to derive pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (C.I.) from 34 randomized controlled trials, including 14,914 treated and 12,679 placebo participants. Results Associations between MHT and cognitive function in some domains and tests of interest varied by formulation and treatment timing. While MHT had no overall effects on cognitive domain scores, treatment for surgical menopause, mostly estrogen-only therapy, improved global cognition (SMD=1.575, 95% CI 0.228, 2.921; P=0.043) compared to placebo. When initiated specifically in midlife or close to menopause onset, estrogen therapy was associated with improved verbal memory (SMD=0.394, 95% CI 0.014, 0.774; P=0.046), while late-life initiation had no effects. Overall, estrogen-progestogen therapy for spontaneous menopause was associated with a decline in Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores as compared to placebo, with most studies administering treatment in a late-life population (SMD=-1.853, 95% CI -2.974, -0.733; P = 0.030). In analysis of timing of initiation, estrogen-progestogen therapy had no significant effects in midlife but was associated with improved verbal memory in late-life (P = 0.049). Duration of treatment >1 year was associated with worsening in visual memory as compared to shorter duration. Analysis of individual cognitive tests yielded more variable results of positive and negative effects associated with MHT. Discussion These findings suggest time-dependent effects of MHT on certain aspects of cognition, with variations based on formulation and timing of initiation, underscoring the need for further research with larger samples and more homogeneous study designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Andy
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Matilde Nerattini
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Steven Jett
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Caroline Carlton
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Camila Zarate
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Camila Boneu
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Francesca Fauci
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Trisha Ajila
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Michael Battista
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Silky Pahlajani
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Paul Christos
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Matthew E Fink
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Schantel Williams
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Roberta Diaz Brinton
- Department of Neurology and Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Lisa Mosconi
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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Nerattini M, Jett S, Andy C, Carlton C, Zarate C, Boneu C, Battista M, Pahlajani S, Loeb-Zeitlin S, Havryulik Y, Williams S, Christos P, Fink M, Brinton RD, Mosconi L. Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of menopause hormone therapy on risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1260427. [PMID: 37937120 PMCID: PMC10625913 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1260427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Despite a large preclinical literature demonstrating neuroprotective effects of estrogen, use of menopausal hormone therapy (HT) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk reduction has been controversial. Herein, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of HT effects on AD and dementia risk. Methods Our systematic search yielded 6 RCT reports (21,065 treated and 20,997 placebo participants) and 45 observational reports (768,866 patient cases and 5.5 million controls). We used fixed and random effect meta-analysis to derive pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (C.I.) from these studies. Results Randomized controlled trials conducted in postmenopausal women ages 65 and older show an increased risk of dementia with HT use compared with placebo [RR = 1.38, 95% C.I. 1.16-1.64, p < 0.001], driven by estrogen-plus-progestogen therapy (EPT) [RR = 1.64, 95% C.I. 1.20-2.25, p = 0.002] and no significant effects of estrogen-only therapy (ET) [RR = 1.19, 95% C.I. 0.92-1.54, p = 0.18]. Conversely, observational studies indicate a reduced risk of AD [RR = 0.78, 95% C.I. 0.64-0.95, p = 0.013] and all-cause dementia [RR = .81, 95% C.I. 0.70-0.94, p = 0.007] with HT use, with protective effects noted with ET [RR = 0.86, 95% C.I. 0.77-0.95, p = 0.002] but not with EPT [RR = 0.910, 95% C.I. 0.775-1.069, p = 0.251]. Stratified analysis of pooled estimates indicates a 32% reduced risk of dementia with midlife ET [RR = 0.685, 95% C.I. 0.513-0.915, p = 0.010] and non-significant reductions with midlife EPT [RR = 0.775, 95% C.I. 0.474-1.266, p = 0.309]. Late-life HT use was associated with increased risk, albeit not significant [EPT: RR = 1.323, 95% C.I. 0.979-1.789, p = 0.069; ET: RR = 1.066, 95% C.I. 0.996-1.140, p = 0.066]. Discussion These findings support renewed research interest in evaluating midlife estrogen therapy for AD risk reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilde Nerattini
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Nuclear Medicine Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Steven Jett
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Caroline Andy
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Caroline Carlton
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Camila Zarate
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Camila Boneu
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Michael Battista
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Silky Pahlajani
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Susan Loeb-Zeitlin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yelena Havryulik
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Schantel Williams
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Paul Christos
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Matthew Fink
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Roberta Diaz Brinton
- Department of Neurology and Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Lisa Mosconi
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Nuclear Medicine Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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Jett S, Boneu C, Zarate C, Carlton C, Kodancha V, Nerattini M, Battista M, Pahlajani S, Williams S, Dyke JP, Mosconi L. Systematic review of 31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies of brain high energy phosphates and membrane phospholipids in aging and Alzheimer's disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1183228. [PMID: 37273652 PMCID: PMC10232902 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1183228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Many lines of evidence suggest that mitochondria have a central role in aging-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mitochondrial dysfunction, cerebral energy dysmetabolism and oxidative damage increase with age, and are early event in AD pathophysiology and may precede amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques. In vivo probes of mitochondrial function and energy metabolism are therefore crucial to characterize the bioenergetic abnormalities underlying AD risk, and their relationship to pathophysiology and cognition. A majority of the research conducted in humans have used 18F-fluoro-deoxygluose (FDG) PET to image cerebral glucose metabolism (CMRglc), but key information regarding oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), the process which generates 90% of the energy for the brain, cannot be assessed with this method. Thus, there is a crucial need for imaging tools to measure mitochondrial processes and OXPHOS in vivo in the human brain. 31Phosphorus-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) is a non-invasive method which allows for the measurement of OXPHOS-related high-energy phosphates (HEP), including phosphocreatine (PCr), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and inorganic phosphate (Pi), in addition to potential of hydrogen (pH), as well as components of phospholipid metabolism, such as phosphomonoesters (PMEs) and phosphodiesters (PDEs). Herein, we provide a systematic review of the existing literature utilizing the 31P-MRS methodology during the normal aging process and in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD, with an additional focus on individuals at risk for AD. We discuss the strengths and limitations of the technique, in addition to considering future directions toward validating the use of 31P-MRS measures as biomarkers for the early detection of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Jett
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Camila Boneu
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Camila Zarate
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Caroline Carlton
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Vibha Kodancha
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Matilde Nerattini
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Michael Battista
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Silky Pahlajani
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Schantel Williams
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jonathan P. Dyke
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Lisa Mosconi
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
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