Brain News
Researchers at the American Academy of Neurology explored how menopause affects the brain in women. The study is published in the journal Neurology.
The Study
To understand how the brain changes after menopause, the researchers recruited 3410 participants above the age of 54. Of all the participants—58% were women, 59% were postmenopausal, and 35% had uncontrolled high blood pressure.
All the participants underwent MRI brain scans. The researchers adjusted factors like age, blood pressure, diabetes, etc., and surveyed the data from the scans.
They calculated the quantity of white matter hyperintensities (the customary biomarkers of brain aging, menopause, high blood pressure, and brain disorders) for each participant.
The Findings
The results provided insights into how menopause impacts the human brain.
Postmenopausal women and women with a high blood pressure of similar age had more white matter hyperintensities than premenopausal women or men of similar age and other healthy participants. It was also found that the increase in brain biomarkers accelerated with age and at a faster rate in women than in men.
Towards Interventions
The researchers have suggested that hormone therapy after menopause can safeguard women against several health conditions associated with an increased volume of white matter hyperintensities. Such conditions include menopause brain fog, increased risk of stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and cognitive decline.
One of the lead researchers, Monique M. B. Breteler, elaborated: “Our research underscores the importance of sex-specific medicine and more attentive therapy for older women, especially those with vascular risk factors.”
To Know More You May Refer To
Lohner, V., Pehlivan, G., Sanroma, G., Miloschewski, A., Schirmer, M. D., Stöcker, T., Reuter, M., & Breteler, M. (2022). The Relation Between Sex, Menopause, and White Matter Hyperintensities: The Rhineland Study. Neurology, 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200782. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000200782