Despite being one of the major hormonal transition phases in the female lifespan, menopause is still underrepresented in medicine and research. Fortunately, this is changing - among others due to our guest, Dr. Claudia Barth, senior researcher at Diakonhjemmet Hospital and the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research in Oslo, who is an expert on female hormonal transitions and their effect on the brain and mental illness. In this episode Franziska sits down with Claudia to demystify menopause, asking about symptoms, mental health, and what we know about changes in the brain during the menopause transition. Also, they dive into why menopause has remained a blind spot in neuroscience so far and why this matters. With a glimpse into Claudia’s ERC grant on “Mapping Perimenopause", this episode offers a hopeful vision for future research on women’s health, where menopause is finally getting the attention it deserves.

Website to the ENIGMA consortium: https://enigma.ini.usc.edu/

Website to the ENIGMA Neuroendocrinology workgroup: https://enigma.ini.usc.edu/ongoing/enigma-neuroendocrinology/

Website to the ENIGMA Early Onset Psychosis workgroup: https://enigma.ini.usc.edu/ongoing/enigma-eop-working-group/

If you would like to get in touch with Claudia, you can reach her at: claudia.barth@medisin.uio.no

... or find her work at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Claudia-Barth

Timestamps:

00:27: Introducing Dr. Claudia Barth and her field of research

02:17: How do we define menopause?

05:38: What happens during menopause?

11:40: Menopause and the brain

17:35: Vulnerabilities and associated diseases

21:32: Why do we know so little? Menopause and research

31:55: Menopause and mental health

43:22: Outlook: Claudia's ERC Project on "Mapping Perimenopause"

50:56: Summary

54:06: Closing remarks and future directions in research

Outline & questions: Franziska Weinmar

Sound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804

Editing: Franziska Weinmar

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: irtg2804.podcast@gmail.com

Are you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.