Menopause: A "Peri" Important Transition Period in Women's Vascular and Brain Health

𝐈𝐒𝐔 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
Room 2630, Memorial Union

There are established sex differences in brain aging, with women experiencing disproportionate rates of cerebrovascular and Alzheimer’s disease compared to men. This lecture will examine the “peri” important role of the menopause transition during midlife as a key inflection point in vascular aging that may accelerate brain aging in women, and the potential for therapeutic intervention and lifestyle behaviors to improve vascular mechanisms of brain health during this critical aging period.

Wes Lefferts, PhD is an Assistant Professor in Kinesiology & Health at Iowa State University and co-director of the Clinical Vascular Research Lab. Dr. Lefferts’ research focuses on vascular mechanisms of brain and heart health and the utility of lifestyle behaviors such as exercise to improve vascular targets of brain health. His recent work is funded by both the American Heart Association and National Institutes of Health and focuses on the potential role of menopause in altering cerebrovascular health and brain aging trajectories in middle-aged women.

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