With the global population of menopausal women projected to reach 1.2 billion by 2030, menopause represents a critical yet understudied period in women's health. Hormonal changes during this transition pose significant risks to brain health, cognitive function, and emotional well-being, while increasing vulnerability to age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Despite its profound societal relevance, menopause-related brain changes remain poorly understood, with limited biomarkers and evidencebased interventions available.
MenoBrain aims to fill this gap by training a new generation of 15 doctoral candidates to address the pressing challenges of menopause-related brain health.
Introduction
By 2030, the number of women experiencing menopause worldwide is projected to reach 1.2 billion, making menopause a critical yet understudied stage of women's health. Hormonal changes during this transitional period pose risks to brain health, cognitive function, and emotional wellbeing, while also increasing the risk of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Despite its high social relevance, menopause-related brain changes remain poorly understood, and there are few biologically active compounds and evidence-based interventions available. MenoBrain aims to fill this gap by training a new generation of 15 doctoral candidates who will address pressing menopause-related brain health challenges. The doctoral candidates will work within a multidisciplinary and international network of 19 participants (12 beneficiaries and 7 partners), spanning neuroimaging, neuropsychology, endocrinology, microbiome research, and bioinformatics. MenoBrain will employ state-of-the-art methods, including advanced neuroimaging (MRI, DTI, PET, EEG), host microbiome modeling, and computational BrainAGE models. This integrated approach will make it possible to investigate how menopause-related hormonal changes and interventions, such as menopausal hormone therapy, affect cognitive health, gut-brain communication, and aging trajectories. The project combines scientific expertise with advanced training infrastructure so that MenoBrain doctoral candidates gain knowledge in interdisciplinary and intersectoral research, advanced technologies, and transferable skills. Using cutting-edge infrastructure, MenoBrain participants will search for biomarkers enabling early detection of cognitive impairment, refine therapeutic strategies, and advance personalized healthcare for women in menopause. MenoBrain not only fills a critical gap in women's health research but also aligns with the EU agenda to promote healthy aging, sex-specific healthcare services, and innovative training for the next generation of leaders in science and industry.
