Evidence for a protective effect of hormone replacement therapy on Alzheimer’s disease neuropathological and clinical outcomes across cohorts

We found evidence for small but significant protective effects of HRT across multiple pathological and clinical measures in two different cohorts. First, the protective effect of HRT on neuropathology measured post-mortem indicates that HRT use is associated with a lower risk of pathology, relative to no HRT use, on this most definitive and final outcome. Second, the protective effect of HRT extended to amyloid biomarkers measured in vivo indicating that future work can utilize these biomarkers to better understand the protective mechanism by which HRT may act. Finally, the protective effect extended beyond pathology to more subtle cognitive outcomes. Together, these results lend understanding to the effects of HRT (or lack thereof) on the aging brain.