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Researchers have found that women’s brains use less energy during the menopause. The reduction in energy use by the brain was found to be similar to what is seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s is characterised by changes in the brain beyond those associated with normal ageing and current research shows that women are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men.
Menopause can have widespread effects on women, including changes in behaviour, mood and sleep patterns.
Researchers studied changes in energy use in the brains of women before and during menopause. They examined healthy women between the ages of 40 to 60 and used an imaging technique known as PET scanning to assess levels of glucose, one of the major energy sources for the brain.
The team saw reductions in the use of energy in women during menopause. Menopausal women also scored lower on memory tests compared to those who had not gone through menopause, even after accounting for their slightly older age.
The researchers made the observation that those areas of the brain where energy use had dropped in menopause were similar to those seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Menopause has impacts on a woman’s life, it can lead to changes in the brain.
