OTKA K 145940

The cognitive changes that occur during aging are often treated as a uniform process for both men and women. However, there is a growing emphasis on the fact that we live in a world predominantly designed for men, where treatments and therapies are often tested on men. There is now a strong consensus that women should be considered separately. An important question in this regard is how hormonal differences affect brain networks and how these differences evolve during aging. Are the same processes occurring in men and women during neurodegenerative diseases; and should we treat them similarly, or differently? For example, there is an accelerating decline in cognitive processes around the age of 45-50. Could this be related to hormonal changes, such as menopause in women? If so, can hormone replacement therapy given around menopause slow down these processes? Previous studies have primarily been behavioural experiments, with no significant fMRI, or EEG results showing how brain networks are affected by hormonal changes. Our planned project aims to investigate how sex hormonal changes during aging affect cognitive functions and underlying brain networks. We also plan a methodological development which can be appropriate for personalized therapies. Our work hopefully will contribute to more informed and health-conscious decision-making for healthcare professionals as well as their patients.