Pre-Menopausal Ovary Removal Linked to Decreased Brain White Matter: Study
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According to a study published in the Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, women who have their ovaries removed before menopause, particularly before the age of 40, have reduced white matter integrity in multiple regions of the brain later in life.
Premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy (PBO) causes abrupt endocrine dysfunction (e.g., loss of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and an increase in gonadotropins). Studies suggest that females with PBO are at an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.
Long-term ovarian hormone deprivation in rats is associated with reduced white matter integrity. Among humans, females have lower white matter fractional anisotropy compared to males across multiple brain regions, potentially reflecting differences in sex hormone exposure.
For the study, the research team examined data from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging to identify women over the age of 50 with available diffusion tensor imaging, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that measures white matter in the brain. The cohort was comprised of:
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