Rethinking Androgens: Influence of Testosterone on Menopausal Neurovascular Aging
Description: Menopause has a major impact on women’s brain and vascular health. Declines in ovarian hormones accelerate neuroinflammation, vascular pathology, and increase risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). At the same time, a growing number of post-menopausal women are turning to testosterone microdosing—often self-directed—to treat low libido, improve energy, and preserve muscle mass. Despite this rapid rise in off-label androgen use, the effects of testosterone therapy on the aging female brain and cerebral vasculature are almost completely unknown. We hypothesize that testosterone treatment during menopause will modulate AD and vascular pathology, with potential to either exacerbate cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA)-related microvascular injury or confer selective neuroprotective effects and cognitive benefits depending on dose, timing, and disease state. In aim 1, we will determine the effect of testosterone treatment after the menopausal transition on cerebrovascular function in the presence and absence of AD pathology. In aim 2, we will determine the effects of testosterone treatment on amyloid pathology, neuroinflammation, and cognitive outcomes post-menopause. This project will provide the first framework for understanding how testosterone therapy during menopause affects cerebrovascular health, amyloid pathology, and cognition in a model highly relevant to women’s aging.
Funder: American Heart Association
Amount: $200,000
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: Innovative Project Award
Start date: 2026-07-01
End date: 2028-06-30
Investigators: Kristen Zuloaga, Kristen Zuloaga
Institution: Albany Medical College
Funded outputs count: 0
Funder award ID: 26IPA1627889
OpenAlex ID: G4103303651