Does raising estrogen impact cognitive performance during menopause?
Hormone therapy could help improve cognitive function in menopausal women, who may experience neurodegeneration as a result of the reduction of neuroprotective estrogens. Prior research has shown that patients with multiple sclerosis who received oral estriol experienced improvements in their processing speed and cerebral cortex atrophy.
In a study published in Scientific Reports, researchers assigned 20 healthy menopausal women with a mean age of 53.5 years to receive a blisterpack of estriol and progesterone. They further performed a preclinical assessment in mice to better understand the mechanisms behind the effects of estriol on cognitive function.
After a follow-up of 12 months, the researchers found that the participants self-reported improvements in brain fog, concentration, working memory, processing speed, verbal memory and problem-solving after receiving the treatment. In the preclinical model in midlife female mice, those that were ovariectomized as well as those that were gonadally intact but had estrogen receptor beta deletion exhibited signs of cognitive deficits, such as heightened levels of protein Enolase 1 in hippocampal astrocytes. However, when the mice were treated with estriol for one month, ENO1 expression, glial activation and synaptic loss declined, resulting in higher cognitive function.
The findings suggested that estrogen receptors may be used to reduce toxicity in other organ systems. Further studies will be needed to determine the safety and efficacy of treatment with estriol in this patient population.
Read more: Scientific Reports
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