{"id":9165,"date":"2025-07-29T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/?p=9165"},"modified":"2025-07-29T09:01:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T16:01:10","slug":"stevens-ini-receives-prestigious-contract-to-advance-womens-brain-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/stevens-ini-receives-prestigious-contract-to-advance-womens-brain-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Stevens INI receives prestigious contract to advance women\u2019s brain health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Stevens INI receives prestigious contract to advance women\u2019s brain health<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Research aims to uncover how menopause and lifestyle factors shape brain health and dementia risk in women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n

\n Sidney Taiko Sheehan<\/span>\n \n July 29, 2025<\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n \n
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A new contract for transformational research to determine how menopause and modifiable lifestyle factors influence brain aging in women during midlife has been awarded to \u00a0<\/span>Neda Jahanshad, PhD<\/span><\/a>, a researcher at the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (<\/span>Stevens INI<\/span><\/a>), and associate professor of neurology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Jahanshad joins the global CARE (<\/span>Cutting Alzheimer\u2019s Risk through Endocrinology<\/span><\/a>) program from Wellcome Leap, a leading US-based non-profit organization focused on accelerating and increasing the number of breakthroughs in global health. Together with Claudia Barth, PhD, professor, Charit\u00e9, Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, Germany, as co-principal investigator, Jahanshad will be part of a team leading a groundbreaking three-year project that could lead to insights on how to reduce the risk of cognitive decline as women age.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alzheimer\u2019s disease and related dementias (ADRD) disproportionately affect women, yet much remains unknown about how the female brain changes during midlife\u2014a critical window that coincides with the menopausal transition. Up to 80% of women experience debilitating symptoms during this period, including hot flashes, sleep disturbances, mood shifts, and cognitive decline. Jahanshad\u2019s project seeks to harness advanced brain imaging and large-scale international data to identify early indicators of neurological aging and suggest tailored interventions for brain health.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Neda Jahanshad, PhD. Photo\/Stevens INI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWomen\u2019s brain health remains one of the most under-researched areas in neuroscience,\u201d said Jahanshad. \u201cWith this contract, we have the opportunity to chart how the brain evolves through midlife in women\u2014and to determine which specific interventions can meaningfully reduce the risk of dementia on an individual level.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The project, titled <\/span>Charting the Female Brain During Midlife<\/span><\/i>, will bring together data from thousands of women worldwide via the ENIGMA (<\/span>Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis<\/span><\/a>) Consortium, a global research network co-led by Jahanshad. The study will analyze MRI scans and health data to track changes in brain structure, connectivity, and tissue microstructure during the menopause transition.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur combination of big data mining and state-of-the-art methods will allow for a better understanding of the risk and resilience factors that shape women\u2019s brain health in midlife. Such knowledge is essential for providing targeted interventions to improve the health of women during and beyond this transitional period,\u201d said Barth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key objectives include:<\/span><\/p>\n