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Estrogen May Offer Protection Against Memory Loss
ST. PAUL, MN (December 22, 1997) Women may be able to reduce memory loss and boost thinking power with estrogen replacement therapy (ERT), according to a study published in the December issue of Neurology, the American Academy of NeurologyÃs scientific journal.
ìERT is increasingly recommended for post-menopausal women due to its beneficial effects on physical health in older women,î says study co-author Susan Resnick, PhD, a neuropsychologist and senior staff fellow at the National Institute on Aging, Laboratory of Personality and Cognition.
ìRecent studies have suggested that ERT may have a protective effect on cognitive function and may reduce the risk for AlzheimerÃs disease. Our findings suggest that ERT also has a protective effect on memory in non-demented women.î
Between 1978 and 1994, the study evaluated 288 post-menopausal women involved in the ongoing Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. One hundred sixteen women reported ERT use, while 172 of the women had never been treated with the therapy. Women receiving ERT had fewer errors on a test measuring short-term visual memory, visual perception and constructional skills ñ the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT).
In previous research Alan Zonderman, PhD, National Institute on Aging, Laboratory of Personality and Cognition, and co-author of this study, showed that poorer memory performance ñ seen through increasing errors on the BVRT ñ predicts cognitive decline as much as 16 to 22 years later and AlzheimerÃs disease a number of years before the onset of illness.
Resnick cautions, ìWomen need to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of taking ERT with their physicians. In addition to possible protection against memory and cognitive decline, there are many good medical reasons for post-menopausal women to take ERT, such as reduced cardiac risks and beneficial effects on bone.î However, women with family histories of uterine or breast cancers should carefully consider all risks involved with ERT.
The ability to examine associations between duration and age of exposure to ERT were limited as the study was not originally designed to address these question. The researchers hope these findings will motivate further studies to fully assess the effects of ERT on memory and cognitive decline.
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