(NewsNation) — A new study shows that a lack of estrogen can change the brain in several ways. Researchers scanned women’s brains before and after menopause and found they look very different, due to a decrease in estrogen.
The women with more red in their scans scored lower on cognitive tests, experienced mood swings and suffered from brain fog or depression.
“There’s a very clear feedback loop that connects the brain to the ovaries that we’re born with. It’s dramatically changing as women go through menopause,” said Dr. Lisa Mosconi, who led the study, during a Friday appearance on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “The ovaries have a strong impact on the brain, and the other way around.”
Mosconi is an associate professor of neuroscience in neurology and radiology and the director of the Women’s Brain Initiative at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Essentially, going through menopause is like “going through a renovation project,” Mosconi said. “It’s associated with changes in brain energy level, changes in connectivity, blood flow, etc.”
Menopause advocate and journalist Tamsen Fadal hopes the takeaway from the study is “raising awareness” so that women no longer feel like “it’s all in their head.”