Cumulative estrogen exposure and prospective memory in older women

Abstract

This study looked at cumulative lifetime estrogen exposure, as estimated with a mathematical index (Index of Cumulative Estrogen Exposure (ICEE)) that included variables (length of time on estrogen therapy, age at menarche and menopause, postmenopausal body mass index, time since menopause, nulliparity and duration of breastfeeding) known to influence estrogen levels across the life span, and performance on prospective and retrospective memory measures in a group of 50 postmenopausal women (mean age=69.3years) who, if they were current or former users of estrogen therapy, had started therapy within 5years of menopause. The ICEE was found to be a significant predictor of performance on the Prospective Memory task (F(1)=4.21, p=.046, η(p)(2)=.084). No significant relationship was noted between the ICEE and performance on measures of retrospective memory. The results suggest that the level of cumulative lifetime exposure to estrogen a woman has influences her prospective memory performance later in life and that the influence of reproductive and biological markers of endogenous estrogen exposure are relevant factors to consider when studying the effect of estrogen therapy on cognitive functioning in postmenopausal women. In addition, the finding that performance on a measure of prospective memory, but not performance on measures of retrospective memory, was associated with the ICEE adds further support to the theory that the frontal cortex may be especially sensitive to estrogen.

Effect of Reproductive History and Exogenous Hormone Use on Cognitive Function in Mid‐ and Late Life

“…Years of reproductive capacity reflects duration of exposure to premenopausal levels of endogenous sex steroid hormones. The results related to age at menarche and reproductive period are consistent with those of previous studies . The inverse association between later age at menarche and global cognition and the positive association between reproductive period and global cognition and executive function were evident with adjustment for reproductive events that alter hormonal levels.…”

“…The results related to age at menarche and reproductive period are consistent with those of previous studies. [8][9][10][11][12]27 The inverse association between later age at menarche and global cognition and the positive association between reproductive period and global cognition and executive function were evident with adjustment for reproductive events that alter hormonal levels. Although the reproductive period is a function of age at menarche, the associations between these factors and cognition were independent of each other.…”

Sex Hormones and Cognition: Neuroendocrine Influences on Memory and Learning

“…Having lower estradiol levels in older age is associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease in women (177,269,270,282,404,553). Patients with Alzheimer's disease have significantly lower estradiol levels compared to normal controls (404).…”

Postmenopausal hormone therapy and cognition

“…These accumulations stem from age at menses and at menopause, duration of breastfeeding if child-bearing, duration of HT in hormone users and time since menopause (Hesson, 2012). Additionally, experiencing menopause at younger ages has been associated with reduced cognitive performance in older adulthood (Hogervorst, 2012; Hogervorst, Kusdhany, & Rahardjo, 2011; Ryan, Scali, Carrière, Amieva, Rouaud, Berr et al, 2014), as well as greater mortality risk (Nelson, Walker, Zakher, & Mitchell, 2012).…”