I was listening to one of the podcasts that I subscribe to last week and the topic was the female brain, and how aging and hormones affect women’s and men’s brains differently.
The woman was Dr. Lisa Mosconi, a Ph.D founder of Women’s Brain Initiative and associate director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic, and Assoc. Professor of Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medicine. The topic was how genetics, environment and lifestyle shape our brains.
She said something to the effect of, “When we’re young, we’re more concerned with our bodies, but as we age, our focus shifts to concerns about our brains!” No lie! Although, I must admit, I’m equally concerned about both.
I recall being overwhelmed by fear the day I got the results from a brain scan following my third, (probably 8th) concussion. I’m like a damn NFL player without the huge salary! (And the helmet! And the odd names. And the dance moves!)
My doctor told me I had a lot of white spots on the front part of my brain. I forget which hemisphere that is. Apparently, it’s not the part that makes you crave French fries all the time. That call scared the crap out of me. The spots, he said, could be early onset Alzheimers, but they can also be from past brain trauma. Hmmmm. The front. You mean the spot where the garage door came down on my head a few years earlier? Or where I cracked my face with the car door? Mystery solved.
My cousin, a neurologist or neurosurgeon, (probably both) put my mind at ease a bit when he told me, it was probably from trauma. After researching MS and understanding, brains can heal, like pretty much every other part of us, I’ve worried a little less about my brain, but I still want to do what I can to keep it highly functioning! (since apparently it’s a little damaged!)
I’ve taken a number of classes lately, and to be honest, I noticed that I’ve had to review things repeatedly in order to retain them. Naturally, as we age, this is of great concern! I doubt I’m alone on that one, and I probably can’t blame the garage door.
I recall researching a while back, about how menopause and hormonal imbalances affect our brains, (Just like they do at puberty and pregnancy.) but I wanted to dig deeper. I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could to preserve my brain function. And here we are again. Back to those hormones!
While we might associate those hot flashes, anxiety, brain fog, depression, and night sweats to our body doing a number on us, it’s actually your brain. These symptoms start in your brain because your ovaries and your brain are connected. (Not literally!) Our ovaries and our brains communicate. They are a connected system.
We are not just a collection of body parts as western/modern medicine would have us believe. In traditional modern medicine, doctors treat body parts, and often to the detriment of other body parts, rather than treating the body system as a whole as they do in functional medicine.
When changes occur in our ovaries, changes occur in our brains as well. Our fluctuating hormones during menopause have a profound impact on our brain function.
Interesting fact. Did you know that many evolutionists, including Charles Darwin, also taught that women were biologically inferior to men? Carl Vogt, a University of Geneva natural history professor who accepted many of “the conclusions of Darwin,” argued that “the child, the female, and the senile white” all had the intellect and nature of the “grown up Negro.” WTH? Hell, I know some pretty smart, “grown up Negroes.”
Darwin’s view was that females were less evolved than males. His theory which he articulated in a number of books and articles influenced a generation of biologists. He believed that “Negroes and women” were intellectually inferior, so I guess I got a two-fer! According to ole Charlie, I was apparently born with my black cracking! The theory was based in part on the idea that women’s brains were smaller. They are! Duh! But in proportion to our body size. Our heads are typically smaller! And, while our brains might be smaller, the density of brain cells is the same! Take that Charlie!
But do they operate the same? Maybe not. And why not? Hormones maybe?
While I won’t go into all the scientific differences, one in particular stood out. According to new research from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, women’s brains appear to be, on average, about three years younger than the brains of men of the same age. This same study suggests that sex affects how our brains age. (You may take that literally as well!)
According to research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, this may also play a role in our tendency to develop neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Some studies suggest these anatomical differences may be due the effects of sex hormones on our brain’s development. Well, what do you know? Again! Back to hormones.
Allow me to break down the way certain hormones affect our brains as we age!
Estrogen – is the hormone responsible for the sexual and reproductive development in women. Well Aunt Ester apparently has a profound impact on brain health. You know that hormone that diminishes over time during menopause? Yeah! That one. Insert sad faced emoji here!
A growing body of evidence has documented estrogen’s positive effect on learning, memory, and mood, in addition to neurodegenerative processes. Therefore, hormone imbalance has a significant effect on our brain function.
Concentrations of these sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, as well as DHEA, can actually be higher in the brain than in the bloodstream. As a result, an imbalance of hormones can drastically affect the brain’s chemistry and communication between our brain cells (also referred to as neurotransmission).
So how does that affect us? Let’s see…. Physically, (diabetes, thyroid issues) mentally, (brain health, memory, mood) and emotionally, (depression!) It can also negatively impact our metabolism and sleep.
Testosterone – commonly referred to as “T”, in women is produced by your ovaries. Testosterone strengthens muscles, arteries, and nerves, including nerves in the brain. This hormone contributes to mental sharpness. Along with Alzheimer’s, low T has also been associated neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. When it’s too low we lose muscle mass and often gain weight. In men, well I don’t have to tell you guys what happens. But here’s an equation that will be easy for your aging brain to remember. Low T= ED.
Progesterone – Research indicates that progesterone affects the central nervous system. It has an effect on cognition and has a calming and protective effect on our brain. Progesterone helps by reducing swelling and improving mental clarity after a traumatic brain injury.
Estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone all contribute to blood flow of the brain, protecting against loss of memory and the progression of dementia.
The Thyroid gland produces hormones that help regulate the body’s metabolic rate (How we use/burn energy), muscle control, brain development, our moods, heart function, digestive functions, as well as our bone maintenance. Any prolonged deficiency depending upon when it starts, could actually lead to brain damage. When it’s too high, we may have a rough time sleeping. Our hair might thin. The outer third of our damn EYEBROWS disappear! This is so me! Anxiety. Irregular heartbeats, although I’m not mad about the weight loss. When it’s low you might feel fatigued, have a hard time concentrating, and feel anxious or depressed.
Cortisol – And finally, the hormone I’m most familiar with! Cortisol! The “stress” hormone. While Cortisol does help reduce inflammation, control metabolism, blood pressure and blood sugar, an excess level of cortisol (usually from prolonged stress) can result in adverse effects on the brain. (And pretty much all of your organs!) When there are high levels floating around in our bodies and brains, it can affect our cognitive abilities and memory, cause fatigue, muscle weakness, cause high blood pressure (which can lead to heart attacks and strokes) as well as bone loss!
Deficiencies and imbalances in these hormones can result in brain-related issues. These imbalances, if not addressed, can have both short-term, as well as long-term effects!
So, what can we do to protect our girl brains? (and boys) We can implement dietary and lifestyle changes that support hormone balance for starters.
Start by consuming an anti-inflammatory diet. Choose healthy fats like avocados, salmon, coconut, and fish oil. Eating Foods rich in B Vitamins helps balance estrogen. Become aware of what your food ate! What did they feed the cow, chicken, pig or even the fish, if farmed! Often, they are fed hormones! Go for wild, hormone-free, and organic whenever possible.
Avoid toxins! Toxins can really screw up hormonal balance. Avoid environmental toxins like pesticides and plastic! Watch out for the packaging and drink from glass whenever possible! Skip the straw or get a reusable metal one.
Lastly, if you are like me, you need to seriously learn to manage your stress. EXERCISE. EXERCISE. EXERCISE. MEDITATE. YOGA. DEEP BREATHING. SLEEP. LAUGH.
As we and our ovaries age, they just don’t properly perform their function, which is to help regulate estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels. This lovely stage is call menopause. (andropause for the boys!)
Okay. Ready for some good news? Of course, you are! The female brain becomes more stable after menopause. We become less reactive to stress and typically, less emotional. I like to call it the IDGAF age! Our focus tends to shift inward. Ideally, we focus more on ourselves, our health, and our OWN well-being!
So, let’s try to keep those hormones NATURALLY BALANCED and our brains functioning at a high level so we can enjoy this time in our lives.
As always, balance is key!
