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Effects of Sex Hormones and Age on Brain Volume in Post-Menopausal Women.
Kim GW, Park K, Jeong GW
Abstract:
BACKGROUND:
Investigation of the effect of sex hormones on the brain volume in women provides a unique opportunity to examine menopause-related morphometric alterations.
AIM:
To evaluate brain morphological alterations in post-menopausal women using voxel-based morphometry and its correlations with sex hormone levels.
METHODS:
20 Pre-menopausal women and 20 post-menopausal women underwent structural MRI.
OUTCOMES:
T1-weighted magnetic resonance data were acquired and serum sex hormones including total estrogen, estriol, estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone, free testosterone, SHBG, and luteinizing hormone were measured.
RESULTS:
Post-menopausal women showed decreased gray matter (GM) in the supplementary motor area (SMA), inferior frontal gyrus, olfactory cortex, and superior temporal gyrus as contrasted with pre-menopausal women using analysis of covariance (P < .05). The GM volume (GMV) values of the SMA, inferior frontal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus were positively correlated with the levels of E2 in the pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women, in which the volume of the SMA was negatively correlated with the duration of time after menopause in post-menopausal women.
CLINICAL TRANSLATION:
This finding is potentially applicable to assess the brain dysfunction with morphological changes in post-menopausal women.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our study is the first to evaluate a direct relationship between the level of E2 and GMV change. We directly compared pre-menopausal and menopausal women un-matched in age. This study highlights the menopause-related morphological alterations in post-menopausal women, suggesting that the reduced GMV were closely associated with the symptoms of menopause caused by the decreased levels of E2.
Investigation of the effect of sex hormones on the brain volume in women provides a unique opportunity to examine menopause-related morphometric alterations.
AIM:
To evaluate brain morphological alterations in post-menopausal women using voxel-based morphometry and its correlations with sex hormone levels.
METHODS:
20 Pre-menopausal women and 20 post-menopausal women underwent structural MRI.
OUTCOMES:
T1-weighted magnetic resonance data were acquired and serum sex hormones including total estrogen, estriol, estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone, free testosterone, SHBG, and luteinizing hormone were measured.
RESULTS:
Post-menopausal women showed decreased gray matter (GM) in the supplementary motor area (SMA), inferior frontal gyrus, olfactory cortex, and superior temporal gyrus as contrasted with pre-menopausal women using analysis of covariance (P < .05). The GM volume (GMV) values of the SMA, inferior frontal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus were positively correlated with the levels of E2 in the pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women, in which the volume of the SMA was negatively correlated with the duration of time after menopause in post-menopausal women.
CLINICAL TRANSLATION:
This finding is potentially applicable to assess the brain dysfunction with morphological changes in post-menopausal women.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our study is the first to evaluate a direct relationship between the level of E2 and GMV change. We directly compared pre-menopausal and menopausal women un-matched in age. This study highlights the menopause-related morphological alterations in post-menopausal women, suggesting that the reduced GMV were closely associated with the symptoms of menopause caused by the decreased levels of E2.
