[Effects of estrogen in the central nervous system]

Estrogen exerts a variety of effects (including electrophysiological, neutrophic and metabolic effects) on neurons in the adult central nervous system. With the many progresses made in the study of estrogen signaling through both genomic and nongenomic pathways, awareness of estrogen's effects on neural function is broadening rapidly. And it also helped people to understand more about the mechanisms by which estrogen regulating GnRH neurons, inducing or maintaining dendritic spine in hippocampus and protecting neurons from a variety of insults. Recently, epidemiological studies have suggested that estrogen, as a hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women, may protect against Alzheimer's disease (AD). Findings in these areas demonstrate a role for estrogen that is beyond direct control of reproductive function.