This study investigated sex differences in amyloid burden using PET imaging in over 10,000 patients evaluated for cognitive symptoms in a real-world clinical setting. Females showed significantly higher rates of amyloid PET positivity and greater amyloid accumulation than males, based on both visual reads and quantitative Centiloid measurements. These differences persisted even after adjusting for age, comorbidities, and other factors. Women were also more likely to be diagnosed with dementia and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), while men more often had non-amnestic MCI and were more likely to be on cholinesterase inhibitors. The findings suggest that females with cognitive impairment may experience a higher pathological burden of amyloid, underlining the importance of considering sex in Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and treatment strategies. Further research is needed to understand the biological and clinical implications of these differences.
Author(s):
Maison Abu Raya, Ehud Zelzer, Ganna Blazhenets, Daniel Schonhaut et al.
References including authors:
Abu Raya M, Zeltzer E, Blazhenets G, et al. Sex differences in amyloid PET in a large, real-world sample from the Imaging Dementia–Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) Study. Alzheimer’s Dement. 2025;21:e70304.