Postmenopausal hormone therapy and cognition in twins

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Endocrinology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Mild cognitive impairment may stem from long-term pathophysiological changes.
• Estrogen's potential role in preventing cognitive decline is hypothesized.
• The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study significantly impacted hormone therapy (HT) use patterns in 2002.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between postmenopausal hormone therapy and cognitive function in Danish female twins.
• To analyze changes in this association before and after the 2002 WHI study publication.

Main Methods:

• Cognitive assessments were conducted on 4510 twins aged 50 years and older.
• Hormone therapy usage data were obtained from Danish health registries.
• Analyses included cross-sectional, intrapair, and longitudinal approaches, adjusting for confounders.

Main Results:

• Systemic HT users aged 70+ showed lower cognitive function than non-users, particularly before 2002.
• Younger twins (50-69) using systemic HT showed lower cognitive function after 2002.
• Women aged 50-69 who switched to local HT or discontinued use post-2002 demonstrated improved cognitive performance.

Conclusions:

• The association between hormone therapy and cognition appears to have changed post-2002.
• This suggests an alteration in the characteristics of hormone therapy users following the 2002 WHI findings.