Study: Menopause Linked to Brain Gray Matter Loss
Study of nearly 125,000 women finds menopause linked to grey matter loss in memory-related brain regions and increased anxiety, depression, and sleep issues; hormone therapy slows reaction time decline.
- On January 26, University of Cambridge researchers published in Psychological Medicine a study analysing UK Biobank data from nearly 125,000 women and MRI scans from around 11,000 participants showing grey matter loss and mental-health issues linked to menopause.
- Researchers pursued the question because women face higher dementia rates; women in the UK account for around two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases and the Wellcome Trust funded the study with NIHR support.
- Brain scans revealed reductions in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, and hormone replacement therapy did not prevent those structural changes but slowed reaction-time decline.
- Researchers cautioned that long-term follow-up is needed as they cannot confirm menopause-linked brain changes increase dementia risk; NHS guidelines say HRT may be considered and Alzheimer's Society recommends a dementia checklist with GPs.
- HRT users typically began treatment around age 49, close to the average age at menopause of about 49.5 years, but reported greater tiredness despite similar sleep and often had poorer mental health before menopause.
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Menopause is linked to reduced gray matter and increased anxiety
New research suggests that menopause is accompanied by distinct changes in the brain’s structure and a notable increase in mental health challenges. While hormone replacement therapy appears to aid in maintaining reaction speeds, it does not seem to prevent the loss of brain tissue or alleviate symptoms of depression according to this specific dataset. These observations were published online in the journal Psychological Medicine. Menopause repr…
How Do Menopause and a Treatment to Manage Its Symptoms Affect the Brain and Mental Health?
New research suggests an association between menopause and anxiety, depression and shrinkage in certain brain regions—which hormone replacement therapy might not mitigate
Changes in the brain's gray matter that accompany menopause may explain why women often experience anxiety, depression, and memory problems during this period of life, according to a recent study from the University of Cambridge.
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Menopause is related to the loss of gray matter and changes in the brain that are similar to those observed in Alzheimer's, as suggested this Tuesday by a research from the University of Cambridge. This could explain why women are more likely to suffer dementia than men, according to the study, published in the journal 'Psychological Medicine' of that university.
Hormone replacement therapy timing linked to Alzheimer’s disease risks
Risks for developing Alzheimer’s disease can increase or decrease depending on when women begin hormone replacement therapy, according to data presented at the American Neurological Association Annual Meeting 2025. The meta-analysis comprised more than 50 clinical trials and observational studies, FNU Vaibhav, MBBS, a student at Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical
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