Study reveals women brain alters more after menopause
Minnesota [US], June 30: According to a recent study and findings, menopausal women may have higher levels of a brain biomarker termed white matter hyperintensities than premenopausal women or men of the same age.
White matter hyperintensities are tiny lesions visible on brain scans that become more common with age or with uncontrolled high blood pressure. These brain biomarkers have been linked in some studies to an increased risk of stroke.
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Author of the study, Monique M. B. Breteler, MD, PhD said, "White matter hyperintensities increase as the brain ages, and while having them does not mean that a person will develop dementia or have a stroke, larger amounts may increase a person's risk."
The recent study specifies 3,410 people with an average age of 54. Of those, 58 per cent were women, and of the women, 59 per cent were postmenopausal. Also, 35 per cent of all participants had high blood pressure and of those, half had uncontrolled high blood pressure.
As per the sources, all participants had MRI brain scans. Researchers looked at the scans and calculated the number of white matter hyperintensities for each participant. The average total volume for these brain biomarkers was 0.5 millilitres (ml).
The average total brain volume was 1,180 ml for men and 1,053 ml for women. The average total white matter volume, the area of the brain where white matter hyperintensities can be found, was 490 ml for men and 430 ml for women.
After adjusting for age and vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes, researchers found that postmenopausal women had more of these brain biomarkers when compared to men of similar age. In people 45 and older, postmenopausal women had an average total white matter hyperintensities volume of 0.94 ml compared to 0.72 ml for men. Researchers also found that the increase in brain biomarkers accelerated with age and at a faster rate in women than in men.
Researchers also found that postmenopausal women had more white matter hyperintensities than premenopausal women of similar age.
There was no difference between postmenopausal and premenopausal women using hormone therapy. Breteler said this finding suggests that hormone therapy after menopause may not have a protective effect on the brain.
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Unrelated to menopausal status, women with uncontrolled high blood pressure had higher amounts of this brain biomarker compared to men.
-PTC News
