The menopause is linked to changes in the brain similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s, according to a large UK study.
The loss of grey matter in areas involved with memory and emotion might partly explain why women are generally at greater risk of dementia than men, researchers speculate.
The findings come from nearly 125,000 women, of whom 11,000 had MRI brain scans.
In the study, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use did not appear to prevent the grey matter loss.
Prof Barbara Sahakian, senior author and from Cambridge University, said: “The brain regions where we saw these differences are ones that tend to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
“Menopause could make these women vulnerable further down the line. While not the whole story, it may help explain why we see almost twice as many cases of dementia in women than in men.”
The brain changes occurred in:
- an area which has a major role in learning and memory – the hippocampus
- a region essential for forming memories and spatial navigation – the entorhinal cortex
- a part which helps with attention and regulating emotions – the anterior cingulate cortex
White matter and grey matter are both essential parts of the brain and spinal cord.
Grey matter consists of neuronal cell bodies and their dendrites – short protrusions that communicate with neurons nearby.
White matter consists of long axons of neurons that transmit impulses to more distant regions of the brain and spinal cord.
