Digit Ratio (2D:4D) Is Not Associated with Alzheimer's Disease in the Elderly.
Brain Sci
; 13(9)2023 Aug 22.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37759830
ABSTRACT
The development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is influenced by sex hormones-estrogens and androgens in particular. However, the impact of prenatal sex hormone exposure is less clear; very few investigations have examined the relationship between the second-to-fourth digit length ratio (2D4D), a putative proxy for the ratio of prenatal estrogens to androgens, and AD, with inconsistent results among the few that have. Therefore, we aimed to investigate this relationship using methodologically robust metrics. In a 2 (sex) × 4 (group) MANOVA incorporating 108 participants (30 AD patients, 19 patients with tauopathy but no amyloidopathy, 31 clinical and 28 healthy age- and education-matched controls), the effects of sex and group on the dependent variables right and left 2D4D were examined. We also explored the association between 2D4D and the severity of AD symptoms assessed via neuropsychological examination. We did not find any significant differences in the right- and left-hand 2D4D between patients with AD and the other groups; no significant associations between 2D4D and neuropsychological task performances were found in the dementia groups. The 2D4D of healthy women was significantly lower than that of depressed women without AD, i.e., clinical controls, but not significantly different from depressed female patients with AD. This investigation does not support the role of 2D4D in the development or severity of AD in general, but suggests a potential role of 2D4D for depression in women. Future studies are warranted to clarify whether 2D4D can distinguish between early- and late-onset depression in women.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Risk_factors_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Brain Sci
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Alemanha