Estrogen enhances hippocampal gray-matter volume in young and older postmenopausal women: a prospective dose-response study

Albert, Kimberly; Hiscox, Jessica; Boyd, Brian D.; Dumas, Julie A.; Taylor, Warren D.; Newhouse, Paul

doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.03.033

Cited by 51 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…There are recent reports of decreased frontal gray matter in MHT users versus nonusers, and several studies have focused on the hippocampus, with one showing a positive short‐term (i.e., 3‐month) treatment effect of relatively high doses of estradiol compared with low doses and placebo, but two others reporting null effects when comparing current, past, and nonusers . The pattern of findings could reflect MHT formulation (e.g., studies reporting null effects grouped users of estrogen‐only and combined therapies), or neural plasticity occurring around the MHT transition.…”

Section: Menopausal Hormone Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

Ovarian hormones: a long overlooked but critical contributor to cognitive brain structures and function

Beltz

Moser

2019

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

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Cognitive neuroscience research has traditionally overlooked half of the population. Arguing that variability in ovarian hormones confounds empirical findings, girls and women have been excluded from research for decades. But times are changing. This review summarizes historical trends that have led to a knowledge gap in the role of ovarian hormones in neuroscience, synthesizes recent findings on ovarian hormone contributions to cognitive brain structures and function, and highlights areas ripe for future work. This is accomplished by reviewing research that has leveraged natural experiments in humans across the life span that focus on puberty, the menstrual cycle, hormonal contraceptive use, menopause, and menopausal hormone therapy. Although findings must be considered in light of study designs (e.g., sample characteristics and group comparisons versus randomized crossover trials), across natural experiments there is consistent evidence for associations of estradiol with cortical thickness, especially in frontal regions, and hippocampal volumes, as well as with frontal regions during cognitive processing. There are also emerging investigations of resting state connectivity and progesterone along with exciting opportunities for future work, particularly concerning biopsychosocial moderators of and individual differences in effects in novel natural experiments. Thus, delineating complex ovarian hormone contributions to cognitive brain structures and function will advance neuroscience.

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Section: Menopausal Hormone Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

Ovarian hormones: a long overlooked but critical contributor to cognitive brain structures and function

Beltz

Moser

2019

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

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“…The following tests were used: spatial working memory (SWM), spatial span (SSP), pattern recognition memory (PRM), 5-choice reaction time (RTI), and match to sample visual search (MTS). The tests chosen activate areas of the brain that are associated with cognitive decline during the menopausal transition and that are sensitive to hormonal changes, including the hippocampus [54] and prefrontal cortex [5]. SWM and SSP activate the temporal and frontal lobe regions of the brain; PRM activates the temporal lobe, hippocampus and amygdala; RTI and MTS activate the fronto-striatal circuitry [55].…”

Section: Cognitive Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumption of a soy drink has no effect on cognitive function but may alleviate vasomotor symptoms in post-menopausal women; a randomised trial

et al. 2019

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Purpose Cognitive decline is commonly reported during the menopausal transition, with memory and attention being particularly affected. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a commercially available soy drink on cognitive function and menopausal symptoms in post-menopausal women. Methods 101 post-menopausal women, aged 44-63 years, were randomly assigned to consume a volume of soy drink providing a low (10 mg/day; control group), medium (35 mg/day), or high (60 mg/day) dose of isoflavones for 12 weeks. Cognitive function (spatial working memory, spatial span, pattern recognition memory, 5-choice reaction time, and match to sample visual search) was assessed using CANTAB pre-and post-the 12 week intervention. Menopausal symptoms were assessed using Greene's Climacteric Scale. Results No significant differences were observed between the groups for any of the cognitive function outcomes measured. Soy drink consumption had no effect on menopausal symptoms overall; however, when women were stratified according to the severity of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) at baseline, women with more severe symptoms at baseline in the medium group had a significant reduction (P = 0.001) in VMS post-intervention (mean change from baseline score: − 2.15 ± 1.73) in comparison to those with less severe VMS (mean change from baseline score: 0.06 ± 1.21). Conclusions Soy drink consumption had no effect on cognitive function in post-menopausal women. Consumption of ~ 350 ml/day (35 mg IFs) for 12 weeks significantly reduced VMS in those with more severe symptoms at baseline. This finding is clinically relevant as soy drinks may provide an alternative, natural, treatment for alleviating VMS, highly prevalent among western women.

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“…Our primary hypothesis was that in transgender women presenting with surgically induced hypogonadism, estradiol exerts neuroprotective effects that can be measured by means of gray matter tissue increase. Specifically, we expected an increase in CTh, similar to those observed in women following MHT [18][19][20][21], an effect opposite to cortical GMV loss demonstrated during androgen suppression in men [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Moreover, in menopause, studies have shown differential effects of estradiol on gray matter. For instance, despite some studies in menopause indicating reductions in gray matter after MHT [22,23], the thinning phenomenon is not yet completely understood, considering the cortical sparing effect promoted by MHT shown in GMV and CTh in other studies [18][19][20][21].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Albeit not in transgender individuals, a recent study evaluating the impact of hypogonadism [18] suggests that menopause is accompanied by an increase in hippocampal GMV following a 3-month treatment of daily estradiol replacement (the latter was also related to the prevention of menopausal-related memory decline). Regarding the impact of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) in the cerebral cortex, Kantarci et al [19] showed a GMV sparing in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex following transdermic MHT (estradiol).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Link between Estradiol and Neuroplasticity in Transgender Women after Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Bimodal Hypothesis

et al. 2019

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For transgender individuals, gender-affirming surgery (GAS) and cross-sex hormone therapy (CSHT) are part of the gender transition process. Scientific evidence supporting the maintenance of CSHT after GAS-related gonadectomy is accumulating. However, few data are available on the impact of CSHT on the brain structure following hypogonadism. Thus, we aimed to investigate links between estradiol and brain cortical thickness (CTh) and cognition in 18 post-gonadectomy transgender women using a longitudinal de-sign. For this purpose, the participants underwent a voluntary period of CSHT washout of at least 30 days, followed by estradiol re-institution for 60 days. High-resolution T1weighted brain images, hormonal measures, working and verbal memory were collected at 2 time points: on the last day of the washout (t1) and on the last day of the 2-month CSHT period (t2). Between these 2 time points, CTh increased within the left precentral gyrus and right precuneus but decreased within the right lateral occipital cortex. However, these findings did not survive corrections of multiple comparisons. Nevertheless, there was a significant negative correlation between changes in estradiol levels and changes in CTh. This effect was evident in the left superior frontal gyrus, the left middle temporal gyrus, the right precuneus, the right superior temporal gyrus, and the right pars opercularis. Al-Schneider et al.though there was an improvement in verbal memory following hypogonadism correction, we did not observe a significant relationship between changes in memory scores and CTh. Altogether, these findings suggest that there is a link between estradiol and CTh.

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Estrogen enhances hippocampal gray-matter volume in young and older postmenopausal women: a prospective dose-response study

Cited by 51 publications

References 51 publications

Ovarian hormones: a long overlooked but critical contributor to cognitive brain structures and function

Ovarian hormones: a long overlooked but critical contributor to cognitive brain structures and function

Consumption of a soy drink has no effect on cognitive function but may alleviate vasomotor symptoms in post-menopausal women; a randomised trial

The Link between Estradiol and Neuroplasticity in Transgender Women after Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Bimodal Hypothesis

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