To Protect the Brain, Look to the Ovaries

Imaging study suggests surgical menopause leads to temporal lobe degeneration that may precede dementia.

Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) prior to menopause is well known to increase risk for cognitive impairment — including dementia. To explore the neuronal basis of this deterioration, investigators in Minnesota performed a population-based cohort study involving women who had undergone BSO from 1988 through 2007 (median age at BSO, 46) compared with those who had not undergone such surgery (control). All 43 participants underwent neuropsychological evaluation as well as magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography (median age at imaging, 63).

The amygdala was smaller (P<0.001), the parahippocampal-entorhinal cortex was thinner (P=0.046), and entorhinal white matter fractional anisotropy (an index of neuronal connectivity) …

Reviewing Author

Andrew M. Kaunitz, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Grant/Research SupportMerck, Mithra, Medicines360

Editorial BoardsContraception; Menopause; Contraceptive Technology Update; OBG Management; Medscape OB/GYN & Women’s Health

Andrew M. Kaunitz, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Grant/Research SupportMerck, Mithra, Medicines360

Editorial BoardsContraception; Menopause; Contraceptive Technology Update; OBG Management; Medscape OB/GYN & Women’s Health

To Protect the Brain, Look to the Ovaries

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Reviewing Author