Estrogen levels relate to neuropsychological function in female schizophrenics

The Role of Estrogen in Schizophrenia: Implications for Schizophrenia Practice Guidelines for Women

“…Riecher-Rossler and others showed a significant association between estradiol levels and psychosis scores, with psychopathology improving when estradiol levels rose (15). Hoff and others studied a group of 22 inpatients and found a positive association between estrogen levels and cognitive performance (16). Taken together, these studies suggest a modulating effect of estrogen on both symptoms and cognition: the higher the estrogen levels, the less severe the symptoms, and the more intact the cognitive abilities.…”

Risk/reward decision-making in schizophrenia: A preliminary examination of the influence of tobacco smoking and relationship to Wisconsin Card Sorting Task performance

“…Recent studies suggest that estradiol may partially mediate schizophrenia-associated symptoms (Bergemann et al, 2007) and that estradiol may influence the expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs; Centeno et al, 2006). Among women with schizophrenia, estrogen levels have been positively correlated with neuropsychological performance (Hoff et al, 1997) and negatively correlated with Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores (Bergemann et al, 2007). The nAChRs subtypes α4β2 and α7 thought to mediate nicotinic effects on cognitive processes including attention and memory are regulated by sex steroids such as estradiol (Curtis et al, 2002).…”