More Than Hot Flushes: A Neuroscientific Dive into Menopause and the Female Brain - Podcast Review of ‘Menopause and the Female Brain’

The podcast follows a conversation between Stacy London - American stylist, fashion consultant, author, magazine editor, advocate for menopause education and healthcare -  and Dr. Lisa Mosconi -  neuroscientist, Alzheimer’s Disease researcher, educator and author of The Menopause Brain. The conversation weaves together clinical research, lived experience, and scientific storytelling in a way that makes a typically overlooked area of neuroscience feel both urgent and accessible.

The podcast begins with Stacy ‘fangirling’ over Dr Lisa and her work (and honestly, she’s so real for that!). Academics being the celebrities of their fields is something I quietly believe - just that their autographs are citations. Speaking of celebrities, as I was listening to the podcast, I was also reading up on Dr Lisa’s work and her book ‘The Menopause Brain’ features praise by the likes of Halle Berry and Gwyneth Paltrow. 

While some celebrity health endorsements can raise eyebrows - especially given the controversies surrounding wellness brands - they also signal growing mainstream attention to menopause research. Halle Berry, for instance, not only supports awareness efforts but is also involved in a menopause coaching service priced at $1,200 per year. Jennifer Aniston’s PVOLVE workout is advertised as “beating the official menopause advice” (though the study itself has its own flaws), but participation requires a subscription and equipment which starts at $200. These examples raise questions about accessibility and the motivations behind such ventures.

Perhaps the most surprising revelation is that until 2014, no neuroimaging studies had specifically examined women’s brains during different stages of menopause. Dr. Mosconi’s research was among the first to address this gap. That fact alone highlights how women’s health and menopause have long been marginalised in biomedical research. Not to mention, Dr Mosconi’s expertise actually lies in nuclear medicine and she only stumbled upon the intersection of menopause and brain health when one of the female participants in her study complained that she couldn’t continue her brain scan because of ‘brain fog’.  

“There wasn't a single study that looked at the brain of women at different stages of menopause. No, we couldn't find any. And I believe that our study is widely recognised as being the first in the field, I think.” 

Her key claim - “Alzheimer's disease is not a disease of old age, so longevity doesn't quite matter, but rather it's a disease of midlife with symptoms that start in old age” is particularly striking. Now given that women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s, the question naturally follows: what role does menopause play in this trajectory? Dr Lisa calls for an integrative, multidisciplinary approach towards addressing this question. She, herself, practices this at her clinic at Weill Cornell, working alongside gynaecologists and oncologists to provide more holistic care - an important step toward precision medicine that accounts for the full complexity of female biology.

Throughout the podcast, Dr. Mosconi’s communication style deserves praise - she presents complex concepts in a way that is accessible, without oversimplifying. Her interpretation of menopause as a neurological transition, rather than purely a reproductive one, reframes it as a period of brain reorganisation, not decline. She suggests the brain may be “rewiring” itself for a post-reproductive phase of life - conserving resources, restructuring networks, and letting go of neurones related to reproductive function. 

Still, while the evolutionary framing is fascinating, it is important to be cautious. Interpreting menopause solely as an adaptive process risks downplaying the very real, and often distressing, symptoms many women experience. There are still noticeable limitations of current treatments - hormone therapy is still poorly understood in terms of its long-term effects on the brain, and the evidence base remains patchy. Many questions remain unanswered, particularly around hormonal receptors, symptom variability, and the mechanisms behind common menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes. 

Punctuated throughout the conversation was a recurring theme: the lack of research into women’s health and conditions that disproportionately affect them. As a woman this was disheartening to hear, but as an aspiring neuroscientist it motivates me to close this research gap. It was also interesting to learn that it was cognitive testing that was the best indicator of Alzheimer’s, compared to other physiological tests like cholesterol, triglycerides, or insulin resistance. 

“If you are concerned that your cognitive performance is deteriorating, then I think testing is a really good thing to do. It's hard to get it done with regular insurance. Unfortunately, you need to go to a specialised clinic like ours [or] the Alzheimer's prevention clinic…where you get all these tests done for free. And in return, you support the research by letting us use your data, which I think is a pretty good trade-off.”

The episode ended with some familiar but still relevant advice: exercise, manage stress, and eat well. While these lifestyle changes are useful general recommendations, they fall short of being a substitute for targeted, evidence-based interventions. Until there is significant investment in women-specific research, they remain broad strokes - helpful, but not enough. Overall, this podcast is a compelling entry point into the emerging field of menopause neuroscience. It highlights the urgency of addressing research gaps, rethinking assumptions about ageing and brain health, and recognising the distinct physiological experiences of women throughout their lifespan.

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This article was written by Peehu Jain and edited by Rebecca Pope, with graphics produced by Suzana Sultan. If you enjoyed this article, be the first to be notified about new posts by signing up to become a WiNUK member (top right of this page)! Interested in writing for WiNUK yourself? Contact us through the blog page and the editors will be in touch.