High Midlife Cortisol Tied to Later Risk for Alzheimer Disease in Postmenopausal Women

Elevated midlife cortisol linked to increased amyloid deposition in the brain

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Postmenopausal women with high midlife cortisol have an increased risk for Alzheimer disease (AD), according to a study published online April 24 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Arash Salardini, M.D., from the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Texas Health San Antonio, and colleagues investigated whether midlife cortisol levels predict the AD biomarker burden 15 years later. The analysis included 305 cognitively unimpaired participants in the Framingham Heart Study.

The researchers found that elevated midlife cortisol correlated with increased amyloid deposition in postmenopausal women, with deposition predominantly in posterior cingulate, precuneus, and frontal-lateral regions. There were no significant associations with tau burden or in men.

“Our findings suggest a potential sex-specific mechanism linking cortisol dysregulation to early amyloid deposition, particularly in postmenopausal women,” the authors write. “The work reinforces the importance of considering sex and hormonal status in understanding AD pathogenesis and suggests that stress reduction and hormonal interventions may hold promise for AD prevention, especially in at-risk women. Longitudinal follow-up of our cohort will be crucial to determine whether these early amyloid changes translate into clinical symptoms and to clarify the causal role of cortisol in AD development.”

Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies; one author has a study-related patent pending.