Journal
NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING
Volume 88, Issue -, Pages 137-149Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.12.014
Keywords
BDNF; Memory; Menopause; Aging; Sex differences; Hormones
Categories
Funding
- NIMH [RO1 MH090291]
- Harvard Translational Research in Aging Training Program [T32AG023480]
- ORWH-NICHD (BIRCWH) [K12HD051959]
- Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center [NIH UL1 RR025758]
- BrightFocus Foundation
- Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health
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Sex steroid hormones and neurotrophic factors, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), play a significant neuroprotective role in memory circuitry aging. Here, we present findings characterizing the neuroprotective effects of BDNF on memory performance, as a function of sex and reproductive status in women. Participants (N = 191; mean age = 50.03 +/- 2.10) underwent clinical and cognitive testing, fMRI scanning, and hormonal assessments of menopausal staging. Memory performance was assessed with the 6-Trial Selective Reminding Test and the Face-Name Associative Memory Exam. Participants also performed a working memory (WM) N-back task during fMRI scanning. Results revealed significant interactions between menopausal status and BDNF levels. Only in postmenopausal women, lower plasma BDNF levels were associated with significantly worse memory performance and altered function in the WM circuitry. BDNF had no significant impact on memory performance or WM function in pre/peri-menopausal women or men. These results suggest that in postmenopausal women, BDNF is associated with memory performance and memory circuitry function, thus providing evidence of potential sex-dependent factors of risk and resilience for early intervention. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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