BACKGROUND: Increased stress is a proposed risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We examined cross-sectional associations between circulating stress biomarkers and multimodal measures of brain health and cognition susceptible to AD in older adults and sex-specific subgroups. METHODS: Baseline data from 132 cognitively unimpaired participants without depression (age, mean ± SD = 74.0 ± 4.0 years, women: RESULTS: Higher epinephrine levels were associated (false discovery rate-corrected CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrates the involvement of circulating stress hormones, particularly epinephrine and cortisol, in greater resilience or vulnerability of brain health and cognitive indicators of susceptibility to AD in older adults. The identification of sex-specific patterns in these associations may inform the development of more effective and tailored interventions.