Women face a significant loss of gray matter in the brain after menopause, which may explain why women are more prone to dementia than men, a new study suggests.

Researchers surveyed 124,780 women, menopause Its effects on the brain and whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can prevent cognitive decline.

Some postmenopausal people womanThey found that brain gray matter, which is essential for mental function, memory, emotion, and movement, was significantly reduced.

Similarly, the most adversely affected parts of the brain were the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex, which control these functions.

Study co-author, Barbara Sahakian University cambridge“The areas of the brain where we saw these differences are areas that are more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease,” he said.

“Menopause may make these women even more vulnerable in the future. It may help explain why dementia cases are almost twice as common in women as in men, although not in all cases.”

Michelle Dyson, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said women account for around two thirds of people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the UK.

“And while it is still not fully understood why they are more susceptible than men, it is thought that hormones may play a role,” she says.

“This large-scale study adds to the evidence of how menopause affects the brain, including physical changes such as decreased brain volume.

“However, without long-term follow-up to see whether participants later develop dementia, we cannot be sure whether brain changes associated with menopause increase the risk of dementia.”

The effects of menopause on cognition, including thinking, attention, language, learning, and memory skills, have already been documented.

To examine the role hormones play, the researchers studied both premenopausal and postmenopausal women, and the latter group was further divided into those who had used HRT and those who had never used it.

Participants answered questions about their sleep and whether they suffered from depression or anxiety, and some took part in cognitive tests that checked their memory and reaction times.

Around 11,000 women also underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, allowing experts to examine the structure of their brains.

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Researchers found that postmenopausal women who were not taking HRT had slower reaction times than women who were taking HRT or who were not yet menopausal.

The study also found that postmenopausal women are more likely to suffer from insomnia, sleep less overall, and feel more tired.

The group taking HRT reported feeling the most fatigued of all three groups, despite getting the same amount of sleep as the group not taking HRT.

However, all postmenopausal women, whether they were taking HRT or not, said they were more tired than women who were not.

However, there were no significant differences between the three groups regarding memory task performance.

Co-author Katharina Zuelsdorff, also from the University of Cambridge, said HRT appeared to have some beneficial effects.

She says, “As we age, our reaction times tend to slow down. This is part of the natural aging process and occurs in both women and men.

“Imagine being asked a question on a quiz. While you may still arrive at the correct answer when you’re younger, younger people will definitely arrive at the correct answer much faster.

“Menopause seems to accelerate this process, while HRT seems to slightly slow down and put the brakes on the aging process.”

Her colleague and co-author Christel Langley said: “Most women will reach menopause, but menopause can be a life-changing event, whether you take HRT or not.

“A healthy lifestyle, including exercise, staying active, and eating a healthy diet is especially important during this time to help alleviate some of the effects.”

Dyson echoed the advice.

She said: “There are steps that women, as well as men, can take today to reduce their risk of dementia, including regular exercise, quitting smoking and cutting down on alcohol.”

“If you’re worried about yourself or a loved one, the Alzheimer’s Association’s Dementia Symptom Checklist is a helpful first step to starting a conversation with your doctor.”