Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease: Lack of Association Between Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Findings

Abstract

There was no association between longitudinal and cross-sectional findings. The longitudinal data were not consistent with a role for the glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis (that hippocampal cell loss in Alzheimer's disease results in hypercortisolism, which in turn acts as a co-factor in further degeneration) in the pathophysiology of mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease.