The New Science of Women’s Brain Health: How Menopause Shapes Memory, Mood, and Cognitive Function

Featuring Dr. Emily Jacobs, neuroscientist and professor at UC Santa Barbara, whose groundbreaking research examines how hormonal changes across the female lifespan influence brain function and structure. Dr. Jacobs will explore how estrogen and other sex hormones affect the brain, and what happens when those hormones begin to decline during perimenopause and menopause. Drawing from advanced brain imaging research, she’ll explain how hormonal transitions can impact memory, mood, and long-term cognitive health, and why understanding these changes is essential to supporting women’s health in midlife and beyond. Dr. Jacobs will also highlight the historical gaps in brain research that have left women underrepresented and underserved, and how a new generation of science is working to close that gap. This series is generously sponsored by Meredith Loring and Sami Inkinen.