Research Interests: Sexual Dysfunction, Informed Consent, Research, Peer Review, Postmenopausal Women, and 15 moreHumans, Testosterone, United States, Fertility and Sterility, Female, Androgens, Differential Diagnosis, Female Sexual Dysfunction, Clinical Sciences, Public health systems and services research, Clinical Assessment, Design Evaluation, Sex hormone-binding globulin, Health Priorities, and Hormone Replacement Therapy
At test times 18 months apart (Time 1 and Time 2), men (n Time 1 = 31, Time 2 = 23), women estrogen-users (n Time 1 = 14, Time 2 = 10), and women estrogen non-users (n Time 1 = 41, Time 2 = 27), whose average age was 72.1 and 73.4 years... more
At test times 18 months apart (Time 1 and Time 2), men (n Time 1 = 31, Time 2 = 23), women estrogen-users (n Time 1 = 14, Time 2 = 10), and women estrogen non-users (n Time 1 = 41, Time 2 = 27), whose average age was 72.1 and 73.4 years at Time 1 and Time 2, respectively,
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Semantic Memory, STEROIDS, Memory, Affect, Cortisol, and 17 moreHumans, Testosterone, Female, Male, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Decode-And-Forward, Digit span, Aged, Psychological Tests, Visual Memory, total P, Dehydroepiandrosterone, Verbal Memory, Reference Values, Estradiol, Radioimmunoassay, and Psychomotor Performance
Research Interests: Dementia, Risk, Memory, Humans, Female, and 4 moreAged, JAMA, Cognition disorders, and Medroxyprogesterone Acetate
Although there is now a substantial literature on the putative neuroprotective effects of estrogen on cognitive functioning in postmenopausal women, it is replete with inconsistencies. The critical period hypothesis, posited several years... more
Although there is now a substantial literature on the putative neuroprotective effects of estrogen on cognitive functioning in postmenopausal women, it is replete with inconsistencies. The critical period hypothesis, posited several years ago, attempts to account for the discrepancies in this literature by positing that estrogen treatment (ET) will protect aspects of cognition in older women only when treatment is initiated soon after the menopause. Indeed, evidence from basic neuroscience and from the animal and human literature reviewed herein provides compelling support for the critical period hypothesis. Although it is not known with certainty why estrogen does not protect cognition and may even cause harm when administered to women over the age of 65years, it is likely that the events that characterize brain aging, such as a reduction in brain volume and in neuronal size, alterations in neurotransmitter systems, and a decrease in dendritic spine numbers, form an unfavorable background that precludes a neuroprotective effects of exogenous estrogen on the brain. Other factors that have likely contributed to the discrepancies in the estrogen-cognition literature include differences in the estrogen compounds used, their route of administration, cyclic versus continuous regimens, and the concomitant use of progestins. This critical analysis attempts to define conditions under which ET may protect aspects of cognition in aging women while also considering the cost/benefit ratio for the treatment of women aged 50-59years. Suggestions for specific future research questions are also addressed.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Obesity, Cognition, Aging, Adolescent, Memory, and 20 moreBiological Sciences, Affect, Humans, Testosterone, Insulin, Female, Clinical, Male, Regression Analysis, Clinical Sciences, Aged, Middle Aged, Adult, Dehydroepiandrosterone, Glucose Tolerance Test, Clinical Endocrinology, Alzheimer Disease, Radioimmunoassay, Case Control Studies, and Androstenedione
This longitudinal study investigated the possible influence of estradiol (E₂), progesterone (P), testosterone (T), cortisol (CORT), and prolactin (PRL) levels on cognitive functioning during late pregnancy and the early postpartum period.... more
This longitudinal study investigated the possible influence of estradiol (E₂), progesterone (P), testosterone (T), cortisol (CORT), and prolactin (PRL) levels on cognitive functioning during late pregnancy and the early postpartum period. The performance of 55 pregnant women on a battery of neuropsychological tests, tested once during the third trimester of pregnancy and once during the early postpartum period, was compared with that of 21 nonpregnant controls matched for age and education. Women in the pregnancy group had significantly lower scores than the controls during both the pre- and postpartum visits on tasks of verbal recall and processing speed. CORT levels were significantly associated, in an inverted-U function, with verbal recall scores at both the pregnancy and at postpartum periods and with spatial abilities at postpartum only. During pregnancy, PRL levels were associated in both a linear and an inverted-U function with scores on tests of paragraph recall and in a linear function with scores on tests of executive function. At postpartum, E₂ and CORT were negatively associated in a linear fashion with attention scores. These findings provide new evidence that fluctuating hormone levels during late pregnancy and early postpartum may modulate selected cognitive abilities.
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognition, Behavioral Neuroscience, Executive Function, Affect, and 18 moreProcessing Speed, Cortisol, Pregnancy, Progesterone, Humans, Prolactin, Testosterone, Spatial ability, Female, Sleep, Longitudinal Studies, Adult, Longitudinal Study, Cognitive Ability, Cognitive Function, Pregnant Women, Neurosciences, and Estradiol
The influence of testosterone and estrogen on memory was investigated in 33 healthy young men. Tests of visual memory, visuospatial ability, verbal memory, and attention were administered, and circulating levels of estradiol and free... more
The influence of testosterone and estrogen on memory was investigated in 33 healthy young men. Tests of visual memory, visuospatial ability, verbal memory, and attention were administered, and circulating levels of estradiol and free testosterone were measured. Participants with high levels of estradiol performed better on 2 measures of visual memory than did those with normal but lower levels. There were no differences between individuals with high and low levels of testosterone on any cognitive measure. These results support the contention that estradiol influences memory in young men.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Psychology, Gender Roles, Gender Identity, Motivation, Humans, and 15 moreTestosterone, Female, Sexual Behavior, Androgens, Attitude, Fantasy, Life Cycle, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Young Women, Retrospective Studies, Personality Tests, Prospective Study, Oral Contraceptive, and Libido
To assess longitudinally the relationships between plasma levels of estradiol (E2) and free testosterone (T) and cognitive functioning in elderly men, women who use estrogen, and women who do not use estrogen. At two test times 18 months... more
To assess longitudinally the relationships between plasma levels of estradiol (E2) and free testosterone (T) and cognitive functioning in elderly men, women who use estrogen, and women who do not use estrogen. At two test times 18 months apart (time 1 and time 2), men (time 1, n = 31; time 2, n = 23), women who were using estrogen (time 1, n = 14; time 2, n = 10), and women who were not using estrogen (time 1, n = 41; time 2, n = 27), whose average age was 72.1 and 73.4 years at time 1 and time 2, respectively, were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests that measured verbal memory, visual memory, concentration and attention, language fluency, and semantic memory. Plasma levels of E2 and free T were assessed by radioimmunoassay. The men had higher free T levels than both groups of women at both test times. Although women who were using estrogen had higher E2 levels than those of the men and of the women who were not using estrogen, the men's E2 levels were also significantly higher than those of the women who were not using estrogen. Moreover, the women who were using estrogen and the men had higher Forward Digit Span scores compared with the women who were not using estrogen at both test times, and women who were using estrogen had higher Backward Digit Span scores than those who were not using estrogen. Both groups of women performed better than the men on the Category Retrieval Test (verbal fluency). The performance of women who were using estrogen on the Delayed Selective Reminding Test (long-term rote memory) improved over time compared with that of the men and of the women who were not using estrogen. These findings raise the possibility that higher E2 levels in elderly men and in women who use estrogen may protect against some declines in explicit memory with normal aging.