Women who have gone through menopause may have more of a brain biomarker called white matter hyperintensities than premenopausal women or men of the same age, according to a new study published in the June 29, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

White matter hyperintensities are tiny lesions visible on brain scans that become more common with age or with uncontrolled high blood pressure.

These brain biomarkers have been linked in some studies to an increased risk of stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline.

White matter hyperintensities increase as the brain ages, and while having them does not mean that a person will develop dementia or have a stroke, larger amounts may increase a person’s risk,” said study author Monique M. B. Breteler, MD, PhD, of the German Center of Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), in Bonn, Germany, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

White matter hyperintensities evolve diff ...