The Possible Impact of Menopause on Cognitive Performance

Topic: The Possible Impact of Menopause on Cognitive Performance

Recent studies have revealed the potential link between menopause and cognitive performance. For example, one recent study indicated that the age that women reached menopause, as well as the type of menopause experienced, seemed to influence their cognitive processes as they aged.

A Recent Study on Menopause and Cognitive Performance

One PhD student, Louisa Needham, made the observation that earlier menopause seems to correlate with a decrease in cognitive performance as one ages. A part of the Medical Research Council Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at the University College of London, Louisa Needham presented this observation for a virtual conference, the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. She also made it clear that the timing of menopause may or may not indeed be related to dementia.

In the study, researchers examined data from a rather small group of participants that were demographically diverse. They were a part of the 1946 British Birth Cohort, which many researchers have tended to follow for a number of decades. Prior studies that were conducted included cohort participants that helped draw attention to a possible link between cognition in childhood and cognition later in life. More specifically, those who had strong cognitive processes in childhood sometimes started menopause at a later age, lending to the possibility of a link between childhood cognition and cognitive performance later in life.

The new study involving Needham and her colleagues assessed the following: memory, attention, executive function, processing speed, visuospatial function, and nonverbal reasoning. There was a total of 243 women in the cohort and the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination, also known as ACE-III, was used to assess the cognitive state of the participants, who were 69-71 years of age at the time of the testing.

The results of the study seemed to suggest a link between starting menopause at a later age and increased cognitive performance at an older age. Conversely, surgical menopause seemed to correlate with decreased cognitive performance. Interestingly, the researchers noted that the reasons behind these links and correlations are not yet entirely accounted for by childhood cognition and other lifetime events.

Key Takeaway

Researchers have identified a possible link between the age at which menopause begins and the type of menopause and later cognitive processes. For example, one study suggests that those who began menopause at an earlier age experienced a decrease in cognitive performance, whereas those who began menopause at a later age showed an increase in cognitive performance. In addition, there is some evidence to suggest a link between childhood cognition and cognition later in life. However, more studies are still needed to solidify the findings and expand on them.

Topic Discussed: The Possible Impact of Menopause on Cognitive Performance