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The hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis and the enigma of Alzheimer disease sex differences

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Alzheimer disease has a sex bias: women are twice as likely as men to be affected. Studies have linked elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels to worsened Alzheimer disease pathology and cognitive decline in mice. Exploring the interaction of FSH with APOE4 has uncovered new aspects of Alzheimer disease. The therapeutic potential of FSH and gonadotropin-releasing hormone have also been highlighted.

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Fig. 1: Unlocking the neuroendocrine key to the Alzheimer disease enigma.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support of the European Research Council ERC-Synergy-Grant-2019-WATCH No 810331 and the ERC-2023-POC-UPGRADE No 101123221.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S 1172, FHU 1000 days for health, DistAlz, EGID, Lille, France

    Florent Sauvé, Loïc Kacimi & Vincent Prévot

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  1. Florent Sauvé
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  2. Loïc Kacimi
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  3. Vincent Prévot
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Correspondence to Vincent Prévot.

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Sauvé, F., Kacimi, L. & Prévot, V. The hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis and the enigma of Alzheimer disease sex differences. Nat Rev Endocrinol 20, 317–318 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-024-00981-1

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