Men Experience Faster Brain Volume Loss With Age,New Study Finds
BOSTON,MA – A comprehensive analysis of over 12,500 brain scans reveals that while both men and women experience age-related brain volume loss,the decline occurs at a faster rate in men,particularly in regions of the cortex. The research, published recently and drawing on data from 4,726 cognitively healthy individuals, challenges previous assumptions linking brain shrinkage directly too the higher prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in women.
For years, scientists have sought to understand why women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s. This new study, utilizing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans taken an average of three years apart, demonstrates that men exhibit a loss of brain volume across a greater number of areas compared to women. While women do experience decline, it’s concentrated in fewer brain regions, and the thickness of their cortex remains comparatively stable.This finding suggests the reasons behind women’s higher Alzheimer’s rates are likely more complex than simply accelerated brain atrophy.
Researchers analyzed MRI scans from more than 12,500 brain scans, focusing on participants who underwent at least two scans with an average gap of three years. The study revealed that men experienced a more widespread loss of volume,especially within the cortex,as they aged.Conversely, women showed declines in a smaller number of brain areas, with less change observed in cortical thickness.
“We found modest but systematic sex differences in age-related brain decline,” stated the scientists in their published article. Anne Ravndal, a co-author of the study, explained to Nature that the initial hypothesis – that greater brain shrinkage in women would explain their higher alzheimer’s rates – appears incorrect. “If women’s brains shrank more, it could have helped explain their higher prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.
The research team now believes that factors beyond structural brain changes are at play. They call for further inquiry into longevity and survivorship bias, differences in detection and diagnosis, the impact of genetic factors like APOE ε4, and varying vulnerabilities to the underlying pathological processes of Alzheimer’s disease. This study underscores the need for a more nuanced understanding of the disease and its impact on different populations.
