Selected Grantee Publications

Effect of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Amyloid Beta (Aβ) Plaque Density in the Rhesus Macaque Amygdala

Appleman et al., Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 2024.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1326747/full

Amyloid beta plaque density is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, the authors examined its concentration in aged female nonhuman primates’ cerebrospinal fluid, as well as in the amygdala, an area of the brain involved with emotion and memory. They set out to test the hypothesis that estrogen hormone replacement therapy can beneficially affect amygdala Aβ plaque density in “surgically menopausal” females (i.e., aged rhesus macaques that had undergone ovariectomy). Female rhesus macaques that received estrogen replacement therapy showed fewer amyloid plaques than those that did not receive the hormone. This effect was observed regardless of the type of diet that the animals consumed. These findings suggest that hormone replacement might be a helpful treatment to consider for Alzheimer’s disease. Supported by ORIP (P51OD011092, R24OD011895, S10OD025002) and NIA.