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ScienceQuiet 7d · day 13

Study finds brain aging 'pauses' temporarily as women approach menopause

Research published in Nature Communications shows gray matter shrinkage slows during the menopause transition, unlike puberty and pregnancy.

newest coverage 6d agosummary written 12d ago4 pieces NewswiresMastodonGoogle News

What to know

  • A study published in Nature Communications found that brain gray matter shrinkage, which normally accelerates with age, temporarily pauses during the transition to menopause.
  • The research analyzed 1,095 brains using MRI scans from the UK Biobank and Leiden University datasets, providing the first longitudinal comparison of brain changes across puberty, pregnancy, and menopause.
  • Gray matter shrinkage occurs markedly during puberty and pregnancy but stabilizes during the menopausal transition before resuming normal age-related decline.

“I really appreciate the effort that went into finding and curating such an impressive longitudinal dataset of the female brain.”

Magdalena Martínez-García, Scientific director, Women's Brain Health Initiative · Live Science ↗ · Sep 10

Sophie van't Hof Study co-author, doctoral student in psychiatryMagdalena Martínez-García Scientific director, Ann S. Bowers Women's Brain Health InitiativeNature Communications Journal publisher

Study finds brain aging 'pauses' temporarily as women approach menopause
livescience.com

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in 3h at Sep 11, 6 AM; 4 pieces over 13 days (3 articles · 1 post) Sep 11, 3 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 11, 6 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 11, 9 AM — quietSep 11, 12 PM — quietSep 11, 3 PM — quietSep 11, 6 PM — quietSep 11, 9 PM — quietSep 12, 12 AM — quietSep 12, 3 AM — quietSep 12, 6 AM — quietSep 12, 9 AM — quietSep 12, 12 PM — quietSep 12, 3 PM — quietSep 12, 6 PM — quietSep 12, 9 PM — quietSep 13, 12 AM — quietSep 13, 3 AM — quietSep 13, 6 AM — quietSep 13, 9 AM — quietSep 13, 12 PM — quietSep 13, 3 PM — quietSep 13, 6 PM — quietSep 13, 9 PM — quietSep 14, 12 AM — quietSep 14, 3 AM — quietSep 14, 6 AM — quietSep 14, 9 AM — quietSep 14, 12 PM — quietSep 14, 3 PM — quietSep 14, 6 PM — quietSep 14, 9 PM — quietSep 15, 12 AM — quietSep 15, 3 AM — quietSep 15, 6 AM — quietSep 15, 9 AM — quietSep 15, 12 PM — quietSep 15, 3 PM — quietSep 15, 6 PM — quietSep 15, 9 PM — quietSep 16, 12 AM — quietSep 16, 3 AM — quietSep 16, 6 AM — quietSep 16, 9 AM — quietSep 16, 12 PM — quietSep 16, 3 PM — quietSep 16, 6 PM — quietSep 16, 9 PM — quietSep 17, 12 AM — quietSep 17, 3 AM — quietSep 17, 6 AM — quietSep 17, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 17, 12 PM — quietSep 17, 3 PM — quietSep 17, 6 PM — quietSep 17, 9 PM — quietSep 18, 12 AM — quietSep 18, 3 AM — quietSep 18, 6 AM — quietSep 18, 9 AM — quietSep 18, 12 PM — quietSep 18, 3 PM — quietSep 18, 6 PM — quietSep 18, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 3 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 9 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 3 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quiet 1–2
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  1. 1

    Outside expert praises study's longitudinal dataset and scope

    Magdalena Martínez-García, scientific director of maternal health for the Ann S. Bowers Women's Brain Health Initiative at UC Santa Barbara, commended the research for providing the first direct longitudinal comparison of brain structural changes across all three major female hormonal transitions.

    “This study provides the first direct longitudinal comparison of brain structural changes across all three major female hormonal transitions.”
    — Magdalena Martínez-García
  2. 2

    Study details released emphasizing longitudinal brain imaging scope

    Live Science reports that the research examined the brain's gray matter, primarily the cerebral cortex, using MRI scans from the UK Biobank and Leiden University datasets. Study co-author Sophie van't Hof noted that a gradual decline in gray matter during adulthood normally occurs as part of aging, but this decline pauses during the menopausal transition.

    “There's also a gradual decline in gray matter during adulthood that's seen as a normal part of aging… However, during the transition leading up to menopause, that gradual loss of gray matter levels off temporarily, the study found.”
    — Sophie van't Hof
    1. 1 outlet Brain shrinkage tied to aging 'pauses' as a woman nears menopause, study finds

      first by Live Science, 13d ago

  3. background

    Study published showing brain aging pauses near menopause — Researchers published findings in Nature Communications examining gray matter changes across puberty, pregnancy, and menopause in 1,095 brains. The study found that while gray matter shrinks markedly during puberty and pregnancy, the normal age-related decline temporarily levels off during the transition to menopause.