Salivary cortisol and explicit memory in postmenopausal women using hormone replacement therapy

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Neuroscience
• Gerontology

Background:

• Circulating cortisol influences explicit memory in primates.
• Hormone therapy (HT) is common in postmenopausal women.
• The relationship between HT, cortisol, and cognition requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate salivary cortisol levels and their association with explicit memory performance in postmenopausal women.
• To compare cortisol levels and memory performance between HT users and non-users.
• To explore the impact of different HT formulations (estrogen alone vs. estrogen plus progestin) on these associations.

Main Methods:

• Study included 99 postmenopausal women (64 HT users, 35 controls).
• Salivary cortisol measured before and after cognitive tasks (California Verbal Learning Test - CVLT).
• Cortisol levels analyzed in relation to CVLT performance, controlling for time of day.

Main Results:

• HT users exhibited higher resting cortisol concentrations than controls.
• Basal cortisol levels modestly predicted learning and memory on the CVLT.
• Higher cortisol levels correlated with enhanced recall and reduced memory errors.

Conclusions:

• Sustained use of hormone therapy may lead to mildly elevated cortisol levels in postmenopausal women.
• Elevated cortisol, potentially influenced by HT, is associated with improved explicit memory function.
• Potential cumulative effects of long-term estrogen exposure and altered cortisol on the aging brain and dementia risk warrant further study.