@article{ref1,
title="Sex differences in the association of alcohol with cognitive decline and brain pathology in a cohort of octogenarians",
journal="Psychopharmacology",
year="2018",
author="Wardzala, Casia and Murchison, Charles and Loftis, Jennifer M. and Schenning, Katie J. and Mattek, Nora and Woltjer, Randall and Kaye, Jeff and Quinn, Joseph F. and Wilhelm, Clare J.",
volume="235",
number="3",
pages="761-770",
abstract="RATIONALE: The beneficial effects of moderate alcohol may differ in aging men versus women. <br><br>OBJECTIVES: Cognitive and functional decline and neuropathology were investigated in a cohort of aging men and women with diverse alcohol histories. <br><br>METHODS: Non-demented (Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of ≤ 0.5 and a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of > 24), autonomously living participants were tracked in longitudinal aging studies to examine self-report and objective tests of rates of decline in a cohort (n = 486) of octogenarians. Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs; Braak stage) and neuritic plaques (NPs) were staged at autopsy in a subset of participants (n = 149) using current standard neuropathologic diagnostic criteria. <br><br>RESULTS: Moderate drinking men had an attenuated rate of decline compared to rare/never drinkers and women on the MMSE and CDR sum of boxes. In contrast, moderate drinking women had a reduced rate of decline only in the Logical Memory Delayed Recall Test (LMDR) compared to rare/never drinkers and men. Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a reduction in the incidence of advanced (stages 5-6) Braak NFT stage in men (p < 0.05), with no effect in women. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, men experienced a broader range of beneficial effects associated with alcohol. Alcohol's effects may differ in men and women in important ways that suggest a narrower beneficial window.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0033-3158",
doi="10.1007/s00213-017-4791-6",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-017-4791-6"
}