The following is a summary of “Sex-difference in the association between social drinking, structural brain aging, and cognitive function in older individuals free of cognitive impairment,” published in the April 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Abulseoud et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate whether there are any differences between men and women in how alcohol consumption relates to cognitive function and the brain age gap in older adults.
They collected data from 269 cognitively fit adults and assessed alcohol consumption on self-report using a food frequency questionnaire across four domains: attention, memory, language, and visuospatial skills. Brain age was estimated using Brain-Age Regression Analysis and Computational Utility Software (BARACUS), and the brain age gap was calculated as the difference between predicted brain age and chronological age.
The result showed that women (n=121) performed significantly better than men (n=148) in memory (1.12±0.87 vs. 0.57±0.89, P<0.0001), language (0.66±0.8 vs. 0.33±0.72, P=0.0006), and attention (0.79±0.87 vs. 0.39±0.83, P=0.0002), while men were better at visuospatial skills (0.71±0.91 vs. 0.44±0.90, P=0.016). Those with prior drinking experience over the year (n=148) scored significantly higher in cognitive function compared to those who reported zero alcohol drinking.
Investigators concluded that sex difference plays significant roles in cognitive functions and brain age gap after alcohol consumption.
Source: frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1235171/abstract