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Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
Gonadal hormones and cognitive aging: a midlife perspective
1Stanford University School of Medicine, mc 5405, Stanford, CA 94305-5405, USA. vhenderson@stanford.edu
Women'S Health (London, England)
|December 24, 2010
Summary
Hormonal changes during menopause appear to have minimal impact on midlife episodic memory. Further research is needed to understand effects on other cognitive domains and surgical menopause outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Psychology
Background:
- Gonadal steroids significantly influence brain functions.
- Hormonal shifts during menopause have implications for cognitive health and public well-being.
- Investigating menopause's cognitive effects is challenging due to observational limitations for natural menopause and experimental constraints for surgical menopause.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the cognitive consequences of hormonal changes associated with menopause.
- To examine the impact of natural and surgical menopause on various cognitive domains.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal data from midlife cohorts.
- Focus on episodic memory as a key cognitive domain.
- Examination of serum estradiol concentrations in relation to cognitive performance.
Main Results:
- Cognitive consequences of natural menopause appear small for episodic memory during midlife.
- Episodic memory performance shows similarity before and after natural menopause.
- Midlife serum estradiol levels are not associated with episodic memory performance.
Conclusions:
- The impact of natural menopause on midlife episodic memory is likely minimal.
- Further investigation is required for other cognitive domains, surgical menopause, and long-term effects.
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