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Menopause Brings Surprising Pause in Brain Changes, Study Shows
Confirmed
In Short: A new study reveals that brain changes typically associated with menopause take a break, unlike those seen during puberty and pregnancy.
During deep sleep, a waterlike fluid moves through and around the brain, aiding in the removal of metabolic waste associated with disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. The AI models used in the study could estimate both the speed of the fluid and the permeability of the surrounding brain tissue, providing insights into the glymphatic system's efficiency.
The study, which involved more than 1,000 female brains, showed significant brain changes during puberty and pregnancy, with gray matter volume decreasing by about 0.1 percent. However, during menopause, brain changes seemed to take a break. "Brain isn’t losing function; it is remodeling, preparing for parenthood," notes one of the researchers.
Brain scans at puberty (before, during, and after the start of menarche) and pregnancy (never pregnant, first pregnancy, second pregnancy) showed decreases in gray matter by about 0.1 percent. MRI scans revealed major brain changes in these stages, but not during menopause. The researchers are now working to establish baseline measurements of brain fluid flow in animals such as mice to better understand the glymphatic system's role.
One of the biggest uncertainties is the speed at which fluid travels through different parts of the brain. Measuring such slow circulation in a living brain is especially challenging because researchers need to observe it without causing permanent damage. The study hints at how hormone ebbs and flows over the lifetime are reflected in brain structure, suggesting that the brain is more resilient and adaptable than previously thought.
What's confirmed
- During deep sleep, a waterlike fluid moves through and around the brain, aiding in the removal of metabolic waste associated with disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. The AI models used in the study could estimate both the speed of the fluid and the permeability of the surrounding brain tissue, providing insights into the glymphatic system's efficiency.
- The study, which involved more than 1,000 female brains, showed significant brain changes during puberty and pregnancy, with gray matter volume decreasing by about 0.1 percent. However, during menopause, brain changes seemed to take a break. "Brain isn’t losing function; it is remodeling, preparing for parenthood," notes one of the researchers.
- Brain scans at puberty (before, during, and after the start of menarche) and pregnancy (never pregnant, first pregnancy, second pregnancy) showed decreases in gray matter by about 0.1 percent. MRI scans revealed major brain changes in these stages, but not during menopause. The researchers are now working to establish baseline measurements of brain fluid flow in animals such as mice to better understand the glymphatic system's role.
- One of the biggest uncertainties is the speed at which fluid travels through different parts of the brain. Measuring such slow circulation in a living brain is especially challenging because researchers need to observe it without causing permanent damage. The study hints at how hormone ebbs and flows over the lifetime are reflected in brain structure, suggesting that the brain is more resilient and adaptable than previously thought.
What's still developing
- The researchers trained neural networks using videos that showed dye spreading through brain tissue over time.
- The results revealed two major pathways by which the glymphatic system helps remove particles from the brain, including amyloid beta proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
- AI reveals a striking two-speed cleanup system that helps the sleeping brain clear away harmful waste.
- “You can put a microscope on a small patch of the brain and watch what’s happening there with a lot of detail, and we’ve worked with that type of data in the past, but it’s only a tiny view of the overall process,” says Professor Douglas Kelley from URochester’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.