Estrogens and Psychic Functions

BDNF upregulation rescues synaptic plasticity in middle-aged ovariectomized rats

“…Prompted by reports that reductions in circulating estrogen can result in significant impairments to human memory (Melleson, 1953; Kopera, 1973), a number of investigators have examined learning in OVX rats (Singh et al, 1994; Daniel et al, 1997; Luine, 1997; Markowska and Savonenko, 2002; Rhodes and Frye, 2006; Wallace et al, 2006; Xu and Zhang, 2006) and monkeys (Lacreuse et al, 2002; Rapp et al, 2003; Hao et al, 2006). The results are reasonably consistent in showing that such animals have moderate to serious memory impairments across an array of behavioral protocols.…”

Estrogen Replacement Therapy In Older Women: A Neuropsychological And Brain MRI Study

“…The general criteria for enrollment in the ASPS consisted of age between 45 and 75 years, a history free of neuropsychiatric disease, and a normal neurological exam. Additional selection criteria applied in the current investigation were (1) no evidence of severe general disease, (2) no alcohol or drug dependence disorders, (3) a score of 136 or higher on the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale as results below this cut‐off point are thought to be indicative of dementia, 19 (4) no medication with known CNS effects, and (5) no clinically significant laboratory abnormalities. A total of 222 women met these criteria, of whom 70 were currently receiving and 140 had never received estrogen replacement therapy.…”

“…Caps and periventricular lining were disregarded, since they most likely represent normal anatomical variants 36 . For the assessment of total white matter hyperintensity area (cm 2 ), we used the cursor‐controlled stylus of our MRI console region‐of‐interest utility. The technique has been described previously 17 .…”

“…Memory loss is a frequent complaint of postmenopausal women 1–3 . Whether hormonal replacement therapy can alleviate such neuropsychological deficits remains controversial 4–9 .…”

Ovarian steroidal control of connectivity in the female hippocampus: An overview of recent experimental findings and speculations on its functional consequences

“…Some naturally menopausal women report changes in cognitive functions, especially memory functions (Malleson, 1953;Kopera, 1973;Anderson et al, 1987). For example, in a population of 100 participants in a menopause clinic, 75% reported memory problems with menopause (Anderson et al, 1987).…”