Overview
- The PNAS analysis drew on more than 12,000 longitudinal MRI scans from nearly 5,000 healthy participants aged 17 to 95, with at least two scans per person.
- Men showed faster, more widespread tissue loss, including in memory- and emotion-related regions such as the hippocampus and parahippocampal areas.
- Women retained volume in more brain regions yet showed slightly greater enlargement of the ventricles, the fluid-filled spaces in the brain.
- Authors stressed that the sample was healthy and relatively well educated and excluded people with dementia, limiting generalizability to clinical populations.
- The findings point researchers toward alternative explanations for women’s higher Alzheimer’s rates, including longevity, diagnostic patterns, hormonal changes around menopause, and differences in care-seeking, with follow-up studies planned.