XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
   Health
 Aging
 Asian Health
 Events
 Fitness
 Food & Nutrition
 Happiness
 Men's Health
 Mental Health
 Occupational Health
 Parenting
 Public Health
 Sleep Hygiene
 Women's Health
 
   Healthcare
 Africa
 Australia
 Canada Healthcare
 China Healthcare
 India Healthcare
 New Zealand
 South Africa
 UK
 USA
 World Healthcare
 
   Latest Research
 Aging
 Alternative Medicine
 Anaethesia
 Biochemistry
 Biotechnology
 Cancer
 Cardiology
 Clinical Trials
 Cytology
 Dental
 Dermatology
 Embryology
 Endocrinology
 ENT
 Environment
 Epidemiology
 Gastroenterology
 Genetics
 Gynaecology
  Infertility
  Menstruation Disturbances
   Menopause
   Premenstrual Syndrome
 Haematology
 Immunology
 Infectious Diseases
 Medicine
 Metabolism
 Microbiology
 Musculoskeletal
 Nephrology
 Neurosciences
 Obstetrics
 Ophthalmology
 Orthopedics
 Paediatrics
 Pathology
 Pharmacology
 Physiology
 Physiotherapy
 Psychiatry
 Radiology
 Rheumatology
 Sports Medicine
 Surgery
 Toxicology
 Urology
 
   Medical News
 Awards & Prizes
 Epidemics
 Launch
 Opinion
 Professionals
 
   Special Topics
 Ethics
 Euthanasia
 Evolution
 Feature
 Odd Medical News
 Climate
Search

Last Updated: Nov 18, 2006 - 1:55:25 PM

Menopause Channel
subscribe to Menopause newsletter

Latest Research : Gynaecology : Menstruation Disturbances : Menopause

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Treatment with hormones improves visual memory of postmenopausal women
Nov 17, 2006 - 1:38:00 PM, Reviewed by: Dr. Himanshu Tyagi

"Our findings suggest that even relatively short periods of hormone therapy have effects on the memory systems that may be of benefit to some women during the perimenopausal transition or early postmenopause"

 
Many women experience declines in their memory during and after menopause, a change thought to be due, in part, to the rapid hormonal changes they weather during that time.

Now, research from the University of Michigan Health System suggests that hormone therapy might help women retain certain memory functions. In a study in the new issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, they report that a group of postmenopausal women showed more brain activity during a visual memory test than did women who were not taking the hormone therapy.

The 10 postmenopausal women in the study, ages 50-60, were given hormone therapy or a placebo for four weeks, followed by a month with no medications, and then four weeks of the other treatment. Their brain activation was measured as they were shown a complex grid of 81 squares, with 40 of them darkened to form a pattern.

Participants were asked to find the matching image from a choice of two, with the new set of images presented after varying time periods (one to four seconds). During the time that the two images were shown, participants were asked to choose the one that matched the initial grid by pressing one of two buttons on an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)-compatible response pad.

Those who were taking combined estrogen-progestin hormone therapy showed significantly increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain that is critical in memory tasks, compared with those on placebo (a pill with no medicinal value). The researchers used images from functional MRI, or fMRI, to compare the participants' brain activity.

"Our findings suggest that even relatively short periods of hormone therapy have effects on the memory systems that may be of benefit to some women during the perimenopausal transition or early postmenopause," says lead author Yolanda R. Smith, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the U-M Medical School.

"Other studies have indicated that long-term hormone therapy is not beneficial for the prevention of chronic illnesses," Smith says. "But our study indicates that the effects of short-term hormone therapy on brain circuitry and function warrant further study."

The role of estrogen in maintaining brain function is of great significance as the population ages and the incidence of dementia increases, says senior author Jon-Kar Zubieta, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and radiology at the U-M Medical School and associate research scientist at U-M's Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute (MBNI).

Zubieta notes that working memory � that is, a limited-capacity storage system that allows the brain to actively maintain and manipulate information that is critical for conducting many daily activities over short time periods � has been demonstrated to be less efficient in older adults. This decline has been linked with changes in the prefrontal cortex.

"Our finding of increased activation in the prefrontal cortex in older women using hormone therapy is important and suggestive of potential therapies that need to be explored further," he says. "Eventually, this could lead to new options for women as they enter a time when memory problems typically develop."

 

- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, "Impact of Combined Estradiol and Norethindrone Therapy on Visuospatial Working Memory Assessed by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging," first published ahead of print Aug. 15, 2006.
 

www2.med.umich.edu

 
Subscribe to Menopause Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

The researchers also point out that there have been shown to be risks with hormone replacement therapy. Information is available at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/women/pht_facts.pdf.

In addition to Smith and Zubieta, other authors were Tiffany Love, B.S., of the U-M Department of Psychiatry and MBNI; Carol C. Persad, Ph.D., of the Department of Psychiatry; Anne Tkaczyk, M.S., of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; and Thomas E. Nichols, Ph.D., of the Department of Biostatistics at the U-M School of Public Health.

The research was supported in part by a grant from the National Center for Research Resources and an investigator-initiated grant from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group. Smith received an investigator-initiated grant from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Nichols has consulted for GlaxoSmithKline Inc., and Zubieta has received lecture fees from GlaxoSmith Kline Inc., Eli Lilly and Co., and Forest Laboratories.


Related Menopause News
Testosterone perks up libido in post-menopausal women
Treatment with hormones improves visual memory of postmenopausal women
Ultra low-dose estrogen shown safe for post-menopausal women
To what extent can hot flashes in midlife women be considered a cause of chronic insomnia?
Dry eye in women related to menopause
Early Transition To Menopause May Increase Risk For First Onset Of Depression
Transition To Menopause Associated With New Onset Of Depressive Symptoms
Women approaching menopause may face depression
Exploring memory problems at menopause


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us