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Postmortem tissue biomarkers of menopausal transition
Maria Tickerhoof1, Heining Cham2, Laila Ouldibbat1
1Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA.
Molecular Psychiatry
|August 27, 2025
Summary
Researchers identified key biomarkers to determine menopausal status in postmortem tissues. This enables studying the menopausal transition (MT) and its link to neurological and mental health disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- The menopausal transition (MT) increases the risk of neurological and mental health disorders.
- Brain imaging shows metabolic and structural changes during MT, but cellular/molecular studies are limited.
- Difficulty studying postmortem human brain hinders understanding MT-associated brain disease risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify reliable biomarkers for determining menopausal status in postmortem tissues.
- To enable cellular and molecular investigations of the brain during the menopausal transition.
- To facilitate a precision medicine approach for women's mental health.
Main Methods:
- Explored 40 candidate biomarkers across blood, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland.
- Analyzed samples from 42 pre-, peri-, and post-menopausal subjects.
- Developed composite measures for postmortem identification of menopausal status.
Main Results:
- Identified 14 significant and 7 strongest menopausal biomarkers.
- Created multi-tissue and tissue-specific composite measures.
- Enabled identification of menopausal status, including the perimenopausal group (45-55 years).
Conclusions:
- Established a method to determine postmortem menopausal status using biomarkers.
- Facilitates research into cellular/molecular mechanisms of neuropsychiatric risk during MT.
- Paves the way for hormone status-informed precision medicine in women's mental health.
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