Sex-related differences in the muscarinic acetylcholinergic receptor in the healthy human brain--a positron emission tomography study.
We evaluated the sex-related differences in the decline of the cerebral muscarinic acetylcholinergic receptor (mACh-R) due to aging by using 11C-N-methyl-4-piperidyl benzilate (11C-NMPB) and positron emission tomography (PET). The subjects consisted of 37 (20 males and 17 females) healthy volunteers. The 11C-NMPB uptake was evaluated by the ratio method (regional 11C-NMPB uptake/Cerebellar 11C-NMPB uptake; rNMPB ratio). The correlation between sex, aging, and the rNMPB ratio in normal aging was evaluated by a multiple regression analysis. The rNMPB ratio was higher in females than in males throughout the entire cerebral region (p < 0.01-p < 0.0001) and the rNMPB ratio might thus possibly decline with age more rapidly in females. Our study therefore revealed the existence of sex-related differences in the cerebral mACh-R.
Yoshida
T
T
Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Kuwabara
Y
Y
Sasaki
M
M
Fukumura
T
T
Ichimiya
A
A
Takita
M
M
Ogomori
K
K
Ichiya
Y
Y
Masuda
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D001561:Benzilates; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010880:Piperidines; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000378:metabolism*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D001561:Benzilates; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D008024:Ligands; D010880:Piperidines; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; C020407:enpiperate