Memory-related brain areas varied in size by age and sex
Estimated volume decline began 1 year later in males than females in one memory-related brain region, and 5 years later in another.
Limit: Age comparisons do not capture individual brain-volume changes over time
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In an observational study, researchers examined high-resolution brain scans from 206 adults aged 21–87, including 110 females. They measured smaller regions within the hippocampus, a brain structure involved in memory, while accounting for the total volume inside the skull.
Estimated volume decline began one year later in males than females in one subregion, and five years later in another. In the latter, age-related volume decline was faster in males after that estimated turning point. Some subregion volumes were also associated with attention or language performance after accounting for age.
Why it matters
The hippocampus is important in Alzheimer’s disease. The authors emphasized understanding factors behind sex-specific volume losses because of their implications for preserving cognitive function into later life.
Caveats
Observational comparisons across ages cannot by themselves show how an individual’s brain changes over time or establish causes of sex differences. The study concerned healthy aging, not Alzheimer’s disease.
The paper
Boys Town National Research Hospital; Creighton University
GeroScience, Jun 18, 2026, Open access
