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The brain takes a break from rewiring during menopause
The brain goes through substantial changes during puberty and pregnancy, both marked by major hormonal shifts. Yet during the third female hormonal transition period—menopause—the organ seems to hit pause on rewiring.
That’s according to a new study that examined scans of 1,095 female brains across three life stages: first period, pregnancy and menopause. The work, published in the journal Nature Communications on September 8, hints that the loss of gray matter volume typically tied to hormone changes doesn’t happen during menopause. What’s more, aging-related brain shrinkage also temporarily halts during this time.