Reacción a "Menopause is the only hormonal transition in a woman’s life that is not associated with a reduction in grey matter or brain volume"

This study assesses changes in the brain associated with three major hormonal and reproductive transitions that occur throughout a woman’s life: puberty, pregnancy and the menopause. Its aim is to identify similarities and differences between these stages. To this end, the authors analyse MRI data from 1,095 participants who underwent scans at two different time points to identify longitudinal changes in their brain volume.

A key feature of the study is that it compares the changes observed during each transition (before and after menarche, pregnancy and the menopause) with those of control women of a similar age who did not undergo that transition during the follow-up period. The results show that, compared with their respective control groups, menarche and pregnancy are associated with a decrease in grey matter volume, whilst the transition to the menopause did not show the same pattern of volume loss. As for the specific regions affected during menarche and pregnancy, the study identifies similar areas of change but also reports that each stage exhibits specific changes.

This is a methodologically sound study that provides evidence of extensive brain remodelling during puberty and pregnancy. However, it should be borne in mind that brain volume is a macroscopic measure that does not allow for the identification of changes at the cellular level or functional alterations. Furthermore, as this is an observational study, it does not allow a causal relationship to be established between hormonal changes and brain changes.