Menopause ‘triggers loss of brain substance that may explain women’s higher dementia risk’ Science, climate and technology news

A new study shows that women suffer significant loss of grey matter in the brain after menopause, which may explain why they are more likely to suffer from dementia than men. Researchers looked at 124,780 women to investigate the effects of menopause on the brain and whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can prevent cognitive decline.

between postmenopausal women They found a significant reduction in grey brain matter, which is important for mental functions, memory, emotions and movement.

Accordingly, the most affected parts of the brain were those controlling these functions – the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex.

Study co-author Barbara Sahakian of the University Cambridge Said, “The brain areas where we saw these differences are those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

“Menopause may make these women vulnerable later on.

Although not the whole story, it may help explain why we see nearly twice as many cases of dementia in women as in men.”

According to Michelle Dyson, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, around two-thirds of people with Alzheimer’s disease in the UK are women.

“And while we still don’t fully understand why they are more sensitive than men, it is thought that hormones may play a role,” he said.

“This large study offers novel perspectives on how menopause affects the brain, including physical changes such as decreased brain volume.

“But without tracking participants over a longer period of time to check whether they later develop dementia, we cannot be sure whether these brain changes associated with menopause also increase dementia risk.”

Researchers have already documented the impact of menopause on cognition, including thinking, attention, language, learning, and memory skills.

To investigate the role played by hormones, researchers examined women before and after menopause, dividing the latter group into women who had used HRT and those who had never used it.

Participants answered questions about topics such as sleep and whether they suffer from depression and anxiety, and some took part in cognitive tests to check their memory and reaction time.

About 11,000 women also underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, which allowed experts to see the structure of their brains.

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Researchers found that postmenopausal women who were not on HRT had slower reaction times than those who were or who had not yet reached menopause.

The study also showed that women after menopause were more likely to have insomnia, get less sleep overall, and feel worn out.

Despite getting the same amount of sleep, those on HRT felt the most tired of the three groups.

But all postmenopausal women, whether on HRT or not, said they were more tired than women who had not gone through it.

However, there was no significant difference between the three groups when it came to performance on memory tasks.

Co-author Katharina Zuhlsdorf of the University of Cambridge said HRT appeared to have a slight beneficial effect.

He said, “As we age, our reaction times slow down – it’s part of the natural aging process and it happens to both women and men.

“You can imagine being asked a question in a quiz – while you may still arrive at the correct answer by being young, young people will no doubt get there much faster.

“Menopause appears to speed up this process, but HRT appears to apply the brakes, slowing the ageing process a bit.”

Her colleague and co-author Christel Langley said, “Most women will go through menopause, and it can be a life-changing event, whether they take HRT or not.

“A healthy lifestyle – exercising, staying active and eating a healthy diet, for example – is especially important during this period to help mitigate some of its effects.”

Ms Dyson echoed his advice.

She said, “There are steps women – and men – can take today to reduce their risk of dementia, and these include regular exercise, not smoking and reducing alcohol intake.

“If you’re concerned about yourself or a loved one, the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Symptom Checklist is a useful first step in starting a conversation with your GP.”