In:
The Journal of Sexual Medicine, Oxford University Press (OUP), Vol. 15, No. 5 ( 2018-05-01), p. 662-670
Abstract:
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 & lt; .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.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1743-6109
,
1743-6095
DOI:
10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.03.006
Language:
English
Publisher:
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Publication Date:
2018
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