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Updated: Jun 7, 2025

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
Published on: May 19, 2015
Sex differences in the association between repetitive negative thinking and neurofilament light
Yolanda Lau1, Amit Bansal1, Cassandre Palix2
1Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
Abstract:
Emerging evidence suggests that repetitive negative thinking (RNT; i.e., worry and ruminative brooding) is associated with biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. Given that women have a greater risk of many neurodegenerative diseases, this study investigated whether worry and brooding are associated with general neurodegeneration and whether associations differ by sex. Exploratory analyses examined whether allostatic load, a marker of chronic stress, mediates any observed relationships. Baseline data from 134 cognitively healthy older adults in the Age-Well clinical trial were utilised. Worry and brooding were assessed using questionnaires. Plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of neurodegeneration, was quantified using a Meso Scale Discovery assay. We found a positive interaction between brooding and sex on NfL, with higher brooding associated with greater NfL levels in women. No associations were observed between worry/ruminative brooding and allostatic load. These results offer preliminary support that RNT is associated with worse brain health, specifically in women.
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