title: Endogenous estradiol is associated with verbal memory in nondemented older men.
abstract: This study examined the relationship between endogenous hormones and cognitive function in nondemented, ethnically-diverse community-dwelling older men enrolled in the Einstein Aging Study (EAS). All eligible participants (185 men, mean age=81 years) received neuropsychological assessment (Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT), Logical Memory (LM), Trail Making Test B (TMTB), block design (BD)) and provided blood samples for hormonal assays (total estradiol, total testosterone, calculated free testosterone index). Linear regression analysis adjusted for age, education, body mass index, and cardiovascular comorbidities indicated that men with high levels of total estradiol demonstrated better FCSRT verbal memory performance (β=0.17, p<0.02) compared to men with lower levels of total estradiol. The results remained unchanged when the model was further adjusted for ethnicity. We did not detect an association between testosterone and cognitive performance. These findings indicate that high levels of total estradiol in older men are associated with better performance on a cue-based, controlled learning test of verbal memory that is a sensitive predictor of dementia.
authors.affiliation: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Bronx, NY 10461, USA. molly.zimmerman@einstein.yu.edu
authors.forename: Molly E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Lipton
authors.forename: Nanette
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: McConnell
authors.forename: Carol A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Derby
authors.forename: Mindy J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Khosrow
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baigi
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saunders-Pullman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol