Mazen Al-Obaidi: Menopause Changes the Brain, Then It Often Bounces Back
Mazen Al-Obaidi, Assistant Professor in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, shared on LinkedIn:
“Menopause changes the brain. Then it often bounces back.
Brain fog in your 40s and 50s is real. It is not just in your head.
Menopause shifts brain structure, wiring, and fuel use. It follows the hormone change, not simple aging. Same-age men do not show it.
The dip is sharpest in perimenopause, when the brain burns less of its main fuel, glucose.
The hopeful part: after menopause, many measures settle and gray matter grows back in key areas. Memory holds steady.
Why it matters: for many women, the fog lifts. The brain is adjusting, not breaking.
Honest note: these are small brain-scan studies, and hormone therapy has not clearly protected the brain.
Menopause is a transition, not a decline.
Takeaway: be patient with your brain in this window. Protect your sleep. Keep moving. Eat real food. And talk to your doctor about symptoms.”
References:
Title: Menopause impacts human brain structure, connectivity, energy metabolism, and amyloid-beta deposition
Authors: Lisa Mosconi, Valentina Berti, Jonathan Dyke, Eva Schelbaum, Steven Jett, Lacey Loughlin, Grace Jang, Aneela Rahman, Hollie Hristov, Silky Pahlajani, Randolph Andrews, Dawn Matthews, Orli Etingin, Christine Ganzer, Mony de Leon, Richard Isaacson and Roberta Diaz Brinton
You can read the Full Article in Scientific Reports.
Title: Perimenopause and emergence of an Alzheimer’s bioenergetic phenotype in brain and periphery
Authors: Lisa Mosconi, Valentina Berti, Crystal Guyara-Quinn, Pauline McHugh, Gabriella Petrongolo, Ricardo S. Osorio, Christopher Connaughty, Alberto Pupi, Shankar Vallabhajosula, Richard S. Isaacson, Mony J. de Leon, Russell H. Swerdlow, Roberta Diaz Brinton
You can read the Full Article in PLOS One.
Title: Brain structure and cognition 3 years after the end of an early menopausal hormone therapy trial
Authors: Kejal Kantarci, Nirubol Tosakulwong, Timothy G. Lesnick, Samantha M. Zuk, Val J. Lowe, Julie A. Fields, Jeffrey L. Gunter, Matthew L. Senjem, Megan L. Settell, Carey E. Gleason, Lynne T. Shuster, Kent R. Bailey, N. Maritza Dowling, Sanjay Asthana, Clifford R. Jack Jr, Walter A. Rocca, Virginia M. Miller
You can read the Full Article in Neurology.
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