The Fact
Estrogen signaling in hippocampal and cortical neurons acts on mitochondria to increase glucose use, mitochondrial respiration and production of ATP—the usable energy cells need to work.
What This Means
Her brain does not merely respond emotionally to estrogen. Estrogen helps brain cells turn fuel into energy. A change in estrogen signaling can therefore change the operating conditions inside the brain itself.
Words such as “brain fog,” concentration trouble or memory difficulty describe symptoms. The underlying biology includes the machinery that supplies energy to brain cells.
Sources
- Brinton RD. Trends Neurosci. 2008. PMID: 18774188.
- Brinton RD. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2008. PMID: 18647624.