MenoBrain: How Menopause Affects Brain Health
Official title: MenoBrain: A Longitudinal Investigation of Menopause and Brain Health
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11251926 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows midlife women during the perimenopause to see how hormone shifts, menopausal symptoms, sleep, and cardiovascular changes relate to memory and brain health over five years.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,504,470 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG090417-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11251926 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women in the late reproductive to early menopausal transition (perimenopause), typically midlife and willing to travel for imaging, blood tests, and follow-up visits, are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Women who are already well past menopause, have established dementia, or cannot undergo MRI or attend in-person visits may not be eligible or directly benefit.
What this research studies
You would join a group of about 224 women who are in the late reproductive to early menopausal transition and come for two detailed visits across a five-year period. At each visit you would have brain imaging, memory and thinking tests, blood tests for hormones and cardiovascular markers, and questions or monitoring about menopausal symptoms and sleep. The team will compare changes over time to look for patterns linking menopause events to brain changes that relate to Alzheimer’s risk. The goal is to learn when and how midlife changes might affect later memory so future prevention efforts can be better timed.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify midlife changes tied to Alzheimer’s risk and point to targets or timing for interventions to protect memory in women.
How similar studies have gone: Previous cohort studies have reported memory declines and suggested links between menopause and later Alzheimer’s risk, but rigorous longitudinal, mechanistic perimenopause studies like this are relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thurston, Rebecca C — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Thurston, Rebecca C
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.