Memory complaints in younger postmenopausal women are associated with differences in brain structure and may serve as an early marker for risk of future cognitive decline, according to a study published June 22 in Menopause by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers.

To help aging individuals be more proactive about their memory health, VUMC is offering free memory screenings to anyone age 55 and older.

The ways certain proteins spread may help explain why the prevalence of Alzheimer’s is higher in women than in men.

Women who have had repeated depressive episodes tend to pay more attention to negative emotional information, suggesting that they may benefit from cognitive therapy to build new, more positive pathways in their brains.

Size may not matter in a lot of things, but when it comes to cognitive decline, the size of the hippocampus definitely seems to be an issue.

“Brain Blast,” a half day of free, hands-on activities for children and adults, will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, March 1, at Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks, 719 Thompson Lane.

The breast cancer drug tamoxifen improves cognitive performance in post-menopausal women.