Smithsonian Magazine · People & society

Brain Rewiring Pauses During Menopause, Study Suggests

A new study indicates that the female brain may temporarily halt its rewiring processes during menopause, a period marked by significant hormonal shifts.

The research analyzed brain scans of 1,095 women across puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. It suggests gray matter loss tied to hormonal changes and age-related shrinkage pause during menopause.

Previous research shows gray matter shrinkage during puberty and pregnancy due to neural reorganization. This study addresses a gap in neuroscience research on female brains.

Puberty was linked to a 0.13% monthly gray matter decline, and pregnancy to a 0.12% reduction. These changes were not seen in control groups.

During menopause, these typical changes were absent. Age-related gray matter decreases also halted, though the pause timing varied among individuals.

This is the first longitudinal comparison of brain structural changes across these three female hormonal transitions.

Limitations include self-reported menopausal stages and limited data points after a long transition period.

The implications are unclear, with researchers investigating if cognitive issues are due to brain changes or other factors.

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