A researcher with Wake Forest University utilized data from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging to study females who had their ovaries surgically removed before menopause — a procedure called a premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy (PBO).
When a woman undergoes a PBO, this impacts the body’s hormones, which can lead to cognitive impairment such as dementia. The researcher, Professor Michelle Mielke, wanted to see if there was a physiological reason this occurs.
By studying magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results from more than 1,000 females, Michelle Marie Mielke, PhD, a professor of epidemiology and prevention at WFU, learned that females who underwent PBOs experienced reduced white matter in multiple parts of their brains.
The findings appear in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s AssociationTrusted Source.
What’s the link between ovary removal and cognitive decline?
Human brains consist of two types of brain tissue: gray and white matter. According to the National Library of MedicineTrusted Source, gray matter controls movement, memory, and emotions.
White matter plays a different role in the brain. White matter consists of nerve fibers or axons which allow the brain to process information and send signalsTrusted Source to other parts of the brain and the central nervous system.
Both forms of brain matter decrease with age, which can contribute to cognitive dysfunction.
In the current study, Mielke examined white matter in the brains of females because PBOs can be associated with cognitive impairment.
Sometimes, having a PBO is medically indicated when a woman has ovarian cancer, a history of ovarian cysts, endometriosis, or ovarian torsion. Females may also opt to have their ovaries removed if genetic testing indicates a mutation in their BRCA geneTrusted Source, which puts them at a higher risk for both breast and ovarian cancer. According to the study, having both ovaries removed before menopause can cause “abrupt endocrine dysfunction. as a result of removing the ovaries. The endocrine systemTrusted Source is responsible for producing.
