PCOS may be linked to subtle changes in brain function, review suggests

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By Olivia Bowthorpe

Polycystic ovary syndrome may be associated with differences in cognitive function and brain structure, but there is not currently enough evidence that it increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers have reported.

They examined research into cognitive performance, brain structure and function, Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers and dementia risk, and discovered subtle differences in attention and memory in those patients who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Dr Ricardo Azziz, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive endocrinology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, US, and colleagues published the findings in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

Brain imaging studies have also reported changes including differences in the volume of some brain regions, white matter microstructure, and connectivity between brain regions. However, the researchers said these findings do not establish that PCOS itself causes brain changes or leads to dementia.

Azziz said: "Current evidence suggests that any association between PCOS/polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) and Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is likely mediated by metabolic comorbidities, particularly insulin resistance and obesity, rather than an independent effect of PMOS itself."