Featuring Dr. Emily Jacobs, neuroscientist and professor at UC Santa Barbara, whose groundbreaking research examines how hormonal changes across the female lifespan influence brain function and structure. In conversation with “Behind the Lens” podcast host Carolyne Heldman, Dr. Jacobs will explore how estrogen and other sex hormones affect the brain, and what happens when those hormones begin to decline during perimenopause and menopause. Drawing from advanced brain imaging research, she’ll explain how hormonal transitions can impact memory, mood, and long-term cognitive health, and why understanding these changes is essential to supporting women’s health in midlife and beyond. Dr. Jacobs will also highlight the historical gaps in brain research that have left women underrepresented and underserved, and how a new generation of science is working to close that gap.