Exploring sexual dimorphism in basal forebrain volume changes during aging and neurodegenerative diseases

Yajun Shi; Dong Cui; Fengzhu Sun; Zhen OuYang; Ruhai Dou; Qing Jiao; Weifang Cao; Guanghui Yu

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2024.109041

Exploring sexual dimorphism in basal forebrain volume changes during aging and neurodegenerative diseases

iScience. 2024 Jan 26;27(3):109041. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109041. eCollection 2024 Mar 15.

Authors

Yajun Shi^{1

2}, Dong Cui^{1

2}, Fengzhu Sun^{1

2}, Zhen OuYang^{2

3}, Ruhai Dou^{1

2}, Qing Jiao^{1

2}, Weifang Cao^{1

2}, Guanghui Yu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai' an, Shandong 271000, China.
² School of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai' an, Shandong 271016, China.
³ Department of Radiology, Taian Municipal Hospital, Tai' an, Shandong 271000, China.

Abstract

Patients with neurodegenerative diseases exhibit diminished basal forebrain (BF) volume compared to healthy individuals. However, it's uncertain whether this difference is consistent between sexes. It has been reported that BF volume moderately atrophies during aging, but the effect of sex on BF volume changes during the normal aging process remains unclear. In the cross-sectional study, we observed a significant reduction in BF volume in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to Healthy Controls (HCs), especially in the Ch4 subregion. Notably, significant differences in BF volume between MCI and HCs were observed solely in the female group. Additionally, we identified asymmetrical atrophy in the left and right Ch4 subregions in female patients with AD. In the longitudinal analysis, we found that aging seemed to have a minimal impact on BF volume in males. Our study highlights the importance of considering sex as a research variable in brain science.

Keywords: Clinical neuroscience; Neuroscience.