Putting “good news” and “brain fog” together may seem like an error, but in this case, it’s not.
Recent research by Dr. Lisa Mosconi and her team showed via brain scans what previous research has suggested about the temporary nature of cognitive challenges we experience during the years leading to menopause, our final menstrual period.
Previous research had noted a transient decline during perimenopause in cognition as measured in three areas: verbal memory, processing speed, and working memory. Whereas these were assessed in a lab setting between a researcher and a subject, this new research involved brain scans of women to see activity levels and structural changes in different regions of the brain responsible for different types of cognitive activity.
This Wall Street Journal article covers the latest study based on Dr. Mosconi’s work analyzing brain scans. Here is the study itself for those that want a deeper dive. And here is a link to the previous study that was based on data from SWAN, the Study of Women Across the Nation, a multi-site, longitudinal study of the menopause transition.
Our Brain Fog page includes highlights of the research on this topic, quotes from those dealing with brain fog, quotes from experts, and other resources to explore.
Update December 2021
I recently heard Dr. Moscconi talking about this work in an interview. She pointed out that our brains undergo similiar changes in structure, or “pruning” as I think she called it, during puberty and pregnancy but we think of those adaptions as positive. When it comes to the menopause transition, we think negative. Let’s change this narrative! Her research saw a recovery of grey matter volume after a temporary decline during perimenopause. Our brain is biologically getting more effcient in some way. Future research will hopefully uncover just how.
