The findings add to mounting evidence that there is physiological connection between menopause and Alzheimer's. Dr. Mosconi and colleagues published a study in Neurology in September that linked menopause to increased accumulation of the Alzheimer's-associated protein amyloid beta in the brain. The investigators also observed reduced volumes of gray matter (brain cells) and white matter (nerve fiber bundles) in brain regions that are strongly affected in Alzheimer's.

Menopause long has been known to cause brain-related symptoms, including depression, anxiety, insomnia and cognitive deficits. Scientists widely believe they are caused largely by declines in estrogen levels. Estrogen receptors are found on cells throughout the brain and evidence suggests that reduced signaling through these receptors due to low estrogen levels can leave brain cells generally more vulnerable to disease and dysfunction.


More specifically, the authors suggest that the menopausal fall in estrogen may trigger a shift to a "starvation reaction" in brain cells -- a metabolic state that is beneficial in the short term but can be harmful in the long term.

"Our work indicates that women may need antioxidants to protect their brain activity and mitochondria in combination with strategies to maintain estrogen levels," Dr. Mosconi said, noting that exercise and foods that are rich in antioxidants, such as flaxseeds, also may help boost estrogen production. "We believe that more research is needed to test efficacy and safety of hormonal-replacement therapies at the very early stages of menopause, and to correlate hormonal changes with risk of Alzheimer's. This is a major priority at our Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic."

Dr. Mosconi and her colleagues now plan to expand their patient group, and also hope to perform longer-term, more comprehensive analyses of neural and metabolic markers during and after menopause. This work may lead to the development of biomarkers that could help investigators identify at-risk patients.

"We really need to follow larger groups of women over long periods to see how this menopausal change in metabolism relates to Alzheimer's," she said.

Said Dr. Brinton, a leading neuroscientist in the field of Alzheimer's, the aging female brain and regenerative therapeutics: "Outcomes of this study will provide critical evidence for early changes in the aging female brain that are relevant to the two-fold greater lifetime risk in Alzheimer's disease. Importantly, these results indicate that we know when to intervene in the aging process to divert the potential for developing this devastating disease."

Back to HCB News

Molecular Imaging Homepage