The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2006
Context: Hormones regulate neuronal function in brain regions critical to cognition; however, the... more Context: Hormones regulate neuronal function in brain regions critical to cognition; however, the cognitive effects of postmenopausal hormone therapy are controversial. The goal was to evaluate the effect of postmenopausal hormone therapy on neural circuitry involved in spatial working memory. Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study was performed. The study was performed in a tertiary care university medical center. Participants: Ten healthy postmenopausal women of average age 56.9 yr were recruited. Volunteers were randomized to the order they received hormone therapy (5 g ethinyl estradiol and 1 mg norethin-drone acetate). Subjects received hormone therapy or placebo for 4 wk, followed by a 1-month washout period with no medications, and then received the other treatment for 4 wk. At the end of each 4-wk treatment period, a functional magnetic resonance imaging study was performed using a nonverbal (spatial) working memory task, the Visual Delayed Matching to Sample task. The effects of hormone therapy on brain activation patterns were compared with placebo. Results: Compared with the placebo condition, hormone therapy was associated with a more pronounced activation in the prefrontal cortex (BA 44 and 45), bilaterally (P Ͻ 0.001). Hormone therapy was associated with more effective activation of a brain region critical in primary visual working memory tasks. The data suggest a functional plasticity of memory systems in older women that can be altered by hormones. (
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