Wu Tsai Neuro Seminar w/ Emily Jacobs

New Frontiers in Women’s Brain Health
Emily Jacobs, PhD

Host: Emily Chen (Scaffolding of Cognition Team [Ellis Lab])

Gonadal hormones are potent neuromodulators of learning and memory. Yet, how these tiny molecules shape the structural and functional architecture of the human brain is virtually unknown. Many brain imaging studies miss a central feature of the endocrine system: hormone production ebbs and flows over time. Precision imaging allows us to map the mammalian brain with exquisite temporal resolution. Following individuals across major endocrine transitions, like the circadian cycle, menstrual cycle, and pregnancy, these studies reveal the human brain’s capacity for rapid reorganization and hormones’ role in shaping this process.

Jacobs’ talk also considers why women’s health research is decades behind where it should be. Nowhere is this knowledge gap more visible than in neuroscience, where fewer than 0.5% of brain imaging articles focus on female-specific experiences, including menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, that shape the lives of half the global population (Jacobs Nature 2023). Progress in women’s health will require a global shift in science culture, and that shift has started. Jacobs will examine emerging research programs, public policy changes, and private sector funding opportunities that are shining a floodlight on women’s health, and by doing so are opening up new frontiers for understanding health and disease.

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⏰ Time: 12:00-1:00 PM (PT)
Come 15 minutes early (11:45 AM) to enjoy coffee, cookies, and conversation with the speaker and your colleagues (main campus location only)

📍 Locations:

• Main Campus (in person): Gunn Rotunda (E241), Stanford Neurosciences Building
• Stanford Research Park satellite locations:
  • 3172 Porter Drive, Room 283
  • 1070 Arastradero Road, Room 211

Learn about the SRP satellites »