Dr Steven R. Goldstein MD Menopause and your Brain
Dr Steven R. Goldstein MD is a top Menopause Specialist in NYC. He is a recent past President of the International Menopause Society and a Certified Menopause Practitioner in private practice for over 25 years. The menopause occurs when a woman’s body stops producing estrogen. Much has been written about the symptoms of menopause such as night sweats, hot flashes, foggy memory, low libido, and so on. However, this loss of estrogen which results in menopause also has an effect on the brain. Estrogen has been linked with reducing mild symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The theory is that estrogen supports the production of acetylcholine, a chemical that helps transmit nerve signals across synapses in the region of the brain where new memories are formed (the hippocampus). Acetylcholine is abnormally low in Alzheimer’s sufferers and may explain their impaired abilities to learn and remember. Estrogen creates more connections among nerve cells, and it helps information travel more easily along those connections. Less estrogen, accordingly, means a harder time remembering and learning new things.