Neuroendocrine and Neurotrophic Links between Menopause and Risk

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, are characterized by progressive neuronal loss that leads to cognitive and motor impairments. These disorders show clear sex-specific differences in prevalence and progression, with increasing evidence pointing to menopause as a critical factor influencing female vulnerability. The decline in estrogen, progesterone, and other neurotrophic factors during menopause disrupts multiple neuroprotective processes, contributing to disease onset and advancement.This book highlights key pathological mechanisms underlying NDs, such as protein misfolding, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, apoptosis, genetic susceptibility, and blood-brain barrier impairment. It emphasizes the modulatory roles of sex hormones and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) through genomic and non-genomic signaling pathways that regulate neuronal survival and brain homeostasis. Overall, menopause is presented as a pivotal biological transition that increases susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases by disrupting interconnected neuroendocrine and neurotrophic networks.