Wall Street Journal Examines Use Of Estrogen To Treat Menopause-Related Memory Loss

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Endocrinology;  Seniors / Aging;  Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 20 Mar 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined the use of estrogen to treat memory loss related to menopause. Several studies have found that decreasing levels of estrogen during menopause can cause women to experience memory loss, often leading them to believe they are developing Alzheimer's disease.

Gayatri Devi, a New York-based neurologist and psychiatrist, has treated several hundred menopausal women who are experiencing memory loss and said that the "majority of them do respond to estrogen." According to the Journal, the "phenomenon" of memory loss during menopause is not "surprising" because there are estrogen receptors in areas of the brain that control learning, memory and mood. In addition, estrogen stimulates the growth of dendritic spines that allow nerve cells to communicate, and the hormone also increases the level of neurotransmitters.

A 1996 study conducted by researchers at Columbia University and published in the Lancet found that older women who took an estrogen replacement were 50% less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. However, a Women's Health Initiative Memory Study in 2004 found that women who took estrogen in combination with progestin had a higher risk of dementia compared with those who took a placebo.

The women in the WHI study were ages 65 to 79 and already had experienced menopause when they began taking the hormones, and some researchers believe that might explain the different results. In addition, the women in the WHI study received the hormone replacement therapy Premarin, which contains equine estrogen. Some experts believe equine estrogen does not protect the brain as well as 17-beta estradiol.

According to the Journal, many researchers believe that estrogen can protect women's brains for about 10 years after menopause. However, there are many unanswered questions regarding the practice of treating memory loss with estrogen, including how long women should take the hormone, according to the Journal (Beck, Wall Street Journal, 3/18).

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