White matter refers to nerve fibers that connect neurons in different areas of the brain.
In the study published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, researchers used 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. Analyzed the data. Brain.
“We know that having both ovaries removed before natural menopause causes sudden endocrine dysfunction, which increases the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia,” said Michelle Mielke, PhD, professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in the US. Said.
Researchers found that women who had premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy (PBO) before the age of 40 had significantly reduced white matter integrity in several brain areas.
"There were also trends in some brain areas that women who had PBO between the ages of 40-44 or 45-49 also had reduced white matter integrity, but many of these results were not statistically significant. Were,” Mielke said.
He also said that 80 percent of the participants who had their ovaries removed also had a history of estrogen replacement therapy.
Therefore, the study was not able to determine whether the use of estrogen replacement therapy after PBO reduced the effect of PBO on white matter integrity.
Mielke noted, "Removal of both ovaries causes a sudden decrease in both estrogen and testosterone in women. Therefore, one possible explanation for our results is the loss of both estrogen and testosterone."
In the study published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, researchers used 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. Analyzed the data. Brain.
“We know that having both ovaries removed before natural menopause causes sudden endocrine dysfunction, which increases the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia,” said Michelle Mielke, PhD, professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in the US. Said.
Researchers found that women who had premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy (PBO) before the age of 40 had significantly reduced white matter integrity in several brain areas.
"There were also trends in some brain areas that women who had PBO between the ages of 40-44 or 45-49 also had reduced white matter integrity, but many of these results were not statistically significant. Were,” Mielke said.
He also said that 80 percent of the participants who had their ovaries removed also had a history of estrogen replacement therapy.
Therefore, the study was not able to determine whether the use of estrogen replacement therapy after PBO reduced the effect of PBO on white matter integrity.
Mielke noted, "Removal of both ovaries causes a sudden decrease in both estrogen and testosterone in women. Therefore, one possible explanation for our results is the loss of both estrogen and testosterone."
