Associations among age at menopause, depressive symptoms, and cognitive function

Alzheimer s & Dementia, vol. 21, pp. e70063

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Evidence is scarce regarding the role of menopause in age-related cognitive function trajectories associated with increased depressive symptoms. We examined the longitudinal association among sex and age at menopause, depressive symptoms, and 2-year follow-up cognitive function. METHODS: We used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, classifying age at menopause into three categories: < 40, 40 to 49, and ≥ 50 years. The study included 4726 women and 4286 men, using multilevel panel data regression to depict age trajectories. RESULTS: Later menopause (≥ 50 years) was significantly associated with fewer depressive symptoms and better cognition than earlier menopause (< 40 years). Men showed significantly fewer depressive symptoms and worse cognition than women with later menopause. DISCUSSION: Earlier menopause was significantly associated with worse 2-year follow-up cognition after adjusting for baseline depressive symptoms, cognition, and lifestyle factors. Dementia risk-reduction strategies should consider women who undergo early menopause as a sex-specific high-risk group. HIGHLIGHTS: Early menopause is associated with worse depressive symptoms and cognitive function. Early menopause is a high-risk factor for cognitive decline and depressive symptoms. Menopause at < 40 years is linked to worse orientation and immediate and delayed recall. Men exhibit worse cognitive function than women experiencing late menopause.

Authors 9

1. Miharu Nakanishi corresponding Aachen Department of Public Health and Primary Care Leiden University Medical Center Leiden the Netherlands

   Tohoku University · Leiden University Medical Center · Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatric Nursing Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine Sendai Japan

   Department of Public Health and Primary Care Leiden University Medical Center Leiden the Netherlands

   Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan

2. Syudo Yamasaki

   Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science

   Affiliation as printed

   Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan

3. Daniel Stanyon

   King's College London · Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science

   Affiliation as printed

   Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London London UK

   Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan

4. Mitsuhiro Miyashita

   Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science

   Affiliation as printed

   Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan

5. Taeko Nakashima

   Nihon Fukushi University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Social Healthcare and Business Faculty of Healthcare Management Nihon Fukushi University Mihama Japan

6. Yuki Miyamoto

   The University of Tokyo

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatric Nursing School of Health Sciences and Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan

7. Asao Ogawa

   National Cancer Center Hospital East

   Affiliation as printed

   Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center National Cancer Center Hospital East Kashiwa Japan

8. Shuntaro Ando

   The University of Tokyo

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Neuropsychiatry Graduate School of Medicine The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan

9. Atsushi Nishida

   Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science

   Affiliation as printed

   Research Center for Social Science & Medicine Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science Tokyo Japan