title: Hormone levels and cognitive function in postmenopausal midlife women.
abstract: Gonadal hormones may influence cognitive function. Postmenopausal midlife women in the population-based Melbourne Women's Midlife Health Project cohort were administered a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests on two occasions 2 years apart. Participants (n = 148, mean age 60 years) had undergone natural menopause and were not using hormone therapy. Estrone, total and free estradiol, and total and free testosterone levels were measured at time of the first testing. Principal-component analysis identified four cognitive factors. In multiple linear regression analyses, better semantic memory performance was associated with higher total (p = 0.02) and free (p = 0.03) estradiol levels and a lower ratio of testosterone to estradiol (p = 0.007). There were trends for associations between better verbal episodic memory and lower total testosterone (p = 0.08) and lower testosterone/estradiol ratio (p = 0.06). Lower free testosterone levels were associated with greater 2-year improvement on verbal episodic memory (p = 0.04); higher testosterone/estradiol predicted greater semantic memory improvement (p = 0.03). In postmenopausal midlife women, endogenous estradiol and testosterone levels and the testosterone/estradiol ratio are associated with semantic memory and verbal episodic memory abilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and National Ageing Research Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia; INSERM, U888, Montpellier, F-34093, France; University Montpellier 1, Montpellier, F-34000, France.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Frank Z
authors.initials: FZ
authors.lastname: Stanczyk
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dennerstein
authors.forename: Wendy J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.forename: Margaret S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Cassandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Szoeke
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kildea
authors.forename: Victor W
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Henderson
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood*; D004970:Estrone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D004970:Estrone; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol