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Neural Correlates of Menopause: An investigation of Working Memory and Grey Matter Volume Changes in the UK Biobank Database

Poster Session D - Monday, March 9, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Prerita Chawla¹, Harriet Allen², Lucy Cragg³; ¹University of Nottingham

Menopause occurs 12 months after a woman’s final menstrual period. It represents a major endocrine transition marked by declining estrogen levels that may influence brain structure and cognition. Neuroimaging studies have reported reductions in grey matter volume (GMV) across frontal, cingulate, and parietal regions during menopause, though findings are mixed and often limited by small samples. Large population datasets such as the UK Biobank provide an opportunity to clarify the neural correlates of menopause at scale. Participants were categorised as pre-menopausal (N = 656), peri-menopausal (N = 167), or post-menopausal (N = 2512) based on menstrual history and self-report. Age-matched male comparison groups were also created. Verbal working memory (WM) was assessed using the numeric memory task, in which participants recalled number sequences (2–12 digits) in reverse order. GMVs were extracted from T1-weighted MRI scans for key regions implicated in WM- the inferior, middle, and superior frontal gyri, anterior cingulate cortex, and superior parietal lobule. Planned analyses include two-factor ANCOVAs testing sex × menopause stage effects on WM and GMV, correlations between GMV and WM across the full sample, and hierarchical regressions assessing whether menopause stage predicts WM performance via GMV changes in fronto-parietal–cingulate regions. Age and education will serve as covariates. We anticipate lower GMV and modest WM reductions post-menopause. This study aims to elucidate how menopause influences brain structure and WM within a large population sample—addressing gaps in earlier small-scale studies. This Sketchpad abstract outlines our study rationale, design, and planned analyses for feedback before final modelling.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Development &aging