BDNF expression partially mediates greater verbal learning and memory ability in a cohort enriched with risk for Alzheimer’s disease

In cognitively normal adults, women score higher than men in verbal learning ability (VLM)—a cognitive domain sensitive to decline in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sex‐specific mechanisms of action in brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a growth factor important for modulating memory and long‐term brain health, may explain this observed sex difference. Therefore, this study examines whether circulating BDNF expression mediates sex differences in VLM scores in a cohort enriched with risk for AD.