title: Short-term hormone treatment modulates emotion response circuitry in postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of combination hormone therapy (HT) on emotional processing in postmenopausal women with use of functional neuroimaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study was performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  A tertiary care university medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten healthy postmenopausal women (mean age 56.9 years, SD = 1.4 years) were recruited.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women were assigned randomly to the order they received combined HT, 5 microg ethinyl E(2) and 1 mg norethindrone acetate, and placebo. Volunteers received HT or placebo for 4 weeks, followed by a 1-month washout period, and then received the other treatment for 4 weeks. Subjects participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging emotional processing task, where they were asked to rate emotional pictures as positive, negative, or neutral.
  
  
  METHODS
  Brain activation patterns were compared between HT and placebo conditions within subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During negative emotional presentations, after subtracting the effect of neutral images, areas of significant differences between HT and placebo conditions were identified in the orbital, frontal, cingulate, and occipital cortices. During positive emotional image presentation there were significant differences between placebo and HT conditions within the medial frontal cortex.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short-term menopausal treatment with combination HT affects regional brain activity within areas implicated in emotional processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Love
authors.forename: Yolanda R
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Carol C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Persad
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tkaczyk
authors.forename: Jon-Kar
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Zubieta
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009640:Norethindrone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D000077563:Norethindrone Acetate; D010919:Placebos; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000523:psychology*; D011859:Radiography; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D004967:Estrogens; D010919:Placebos; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D000077563:Norethindrone Acetate; D009640:Norethindrone