#182: 🎙️ What Menopause REALLY Does to the Female Brain with Nahid Zokaei

About this episode

Nina Patrick interviews Nahid Zokaei about the neurological effects of menopause on women's brain health.

This week on the Nina’s Notes Podcast, I sit down with Nahid Zoukaei, an Oxford researcher, cognitive neuroscientist, and founder of Cerebella, to explore why menopause may be one of the most overlooked neurological transitions in a woman’s life. We talk about the connection between menopause, brain fog, memory loss, and Alzheimer’s risk, why women are often dismissed when reporting cognitive symptoms, and how hormonal changes can directly affect the brain during midlife. Dr. Zoukaei also shares the science behind estrogen and brain health, the future of non-drug cognitive therapies, and what women can do today to better protect their long-term cognitive health. KEY TOPICS: * How hormonal changes during midlife affect memory, focus, mood, and cognition. * Why menopause-related brain fog is a real neurological symptom, not “just stress.” * Exploring why women make up the majority of Alzheimer’s patients. * How estrogen supports memory, cognition, and overall brain function. * Why women’s midlife health has been historically overlooked in science and healthcare. * How non-drug cognitive interventions may help support women’s brain health. * The importance of sleep, exercise…

People in this episode

Host: Nina Patrick

Guest: Nahid Zokaei

Topics covered

• menopause
• female brain health
• cognitive symptoms
• Alzheimer's risk
• hormonal changes
• non-drug cognitive therapies

Keywords

• menopause
• brain fog
• memory loss
• Alzheimer's
• hormonal changes
• cognitive health
• estrogen
• non-drug therapies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cerebella, Oxford

More episodes of Nina’s Notes Podcast

• #184: 🎙️ Forget Your VO2 Max. This Scientist Says Your Social Score Matters More. · June 3, 2026 · 49 min
• #180: 🎙️ She Reversed Her Biological Age with Katrin Dreissigacker · May 6, 2026 · 54 min
• #175: 🎙️ INTERVIEW | The Power of Early Prevention and Stem Cells with Dr. Yi Song, Author of The Regeneration Effect and Founder of Zenerchi · April 1, 2026 · 53 min
• #173: 🎙️INTERVIEW | What Actually Happens at a Psychedelic Retreat? · March 18, 2026 · 44 min
• #172: 🎙️ INTERVIEW | You'll Be Disabled at 62 - Unless You Fix This in Your 40s with Roderick Lambert, Founder of Midlife Metabolic Health · March 11, 2026 · 36 min
• #168: ☀️ Joyspan vs Lifespan: What Makes Aging Worthwhile | READ ALOUD · February 11, 2026 · 9 min