title: Sex hormone binding globulin and incident Alzheimer's disease in elderly men and women.
abstract: It has been suggested that low levels of estradiol and testosterone increase dementia risk. However, results of the existing observational studies examining associations of endogenous sex hormones with cognition and dementia are conflicting. A possible explanation for these inconsistent findings could be the involvement of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in regulating sex hormone levels. In the present study, we examined whether SHBG levels were associated with development of AD and overall dementia in a cohort of elderly men and women free of dementia at baseline. We observed that in both men and women higher levels of SHBG were associated with an increased risk for AD and overall dementia. These results were independent of vascular risk factors and bioactive hormone levels. Whether SHBG is causally related to dementia or whether it is a surrogate marker for rate of biological aging and increased risk or for preclinical stage of dementia has to be elucidated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Majon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schupf
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Manly
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mayeux
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Luchsinger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol