Lower Cognitive Performance Not Uncommon in Women With PCOS

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have lower cognitive performance and lower white matter integrity in midlife, according to a study published online Jan. 31 in Neurology.

Heather G. Huddleston, M.D., from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues examined possible associations between PCOS and midlife cognitive function and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings using data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. A total of 1,163 women with PCOS from an ancillary study (CARDIA Women's Study) were identified; 907 completed cognitive testing at year 30.

The researchers found that 66 women (7.1 percent) met the criteria for PCOS. At year 30, women with versus without PCOS performed lower on the Stroop test (mean z score, −0.323), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (−0.254), and category fluency test (−0.267). Overall, 25 (8.5 percent) of the 291 participants with MRI met the PCOS criteria; they had lower total white matter fractional anisotropy (coefficient, −0.013); however, white matter was not abnormal.

"Given that up to 10 percent of women may be affected by PCOS, these results have important implications for public health at large," the authors write. "Current recommendations for PCOS include management of cardiovascular risk and screening for depression, and our work suggests that appropriate management of these aspects may serve to also improve brain aging for this population."

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