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. 2010 Jan;72(1):99-106.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2009.03599.x. Epub 2009 Mar 30.

Endogenous oestrogens predict 4-year decline in verbal fluency in postmenopausal women: the Rancho Bernardo Study

Gail A Laughlin  1 , Donna Kritz-Silverstein, Elizabeth Barrett-Connor
Affiliations

Endogenous oestrogens predict 4-year decline in verbal fluency in postmenopausal women: the Rancho Bernardo Study

Gail A Laughlin et al. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2010 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: Despite overwhelming biological plausibility, evidence for a protective effect of oestrogen on cognitive function in postmenopausal women is inconsistent. This study examines the association between endogenous oestrogen levels and subsequent 4-year decline in cognitive function test performance in community-dwelling older women.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Participants: Three hundred and forty-three postmenopausal women (median age 70 years).

Measurements: Between 1984 and 1987, serum for measurement of sex hormones was obtained along with relevant covariates. Cognitive function was assessed in 1988-1991 and again in 1992-1996 using the Category Fluency test, the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) and Trail Making Test B (Trails B).

Results: Women in the highest tertile of oestrone and bioavailable oestradiol had respectively 1.75 (95% CI 1.02, 3.07) and 1.79 (95% CI 1.04, 3.10) higher odds of 4 year decline in Category Fluency, a test of frontal lobe function, compared to those in the lowest tertile, independent of age and education. The 20% of women with highest tertile levels of both oestrone and bioavailable oestradiol had a twofold higher odds of verbal fluency loss (OR = 2.17; 95% CI 1.21, 3.89). Adjustment for testosterone levels or for obesity-related factors associated with high endogenous oestrogens (higher body mass index, waist girth, and triglycerides and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) did not alter results. Neither oestrogen was associated with change in MMSE or Trails B scores.

Conclusions: Higher endogenous oestrogen levels were associated with a greater decline in verbal fluency in postmenopausal women. This association was not explained by elevated androgens or by obesity or obesity-related factors.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Box plots of tertile of annual change in Category Fluency (VFT), MMSE and Trails B test scores. For Trails B, the annual change was multiplied by −1 so that negative changes would indicate worsening scores for all tests.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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