Endogenous Estrogens and Brain Activation During Verbal Memory Encoding and Recognition in the Postmenopause

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Endocrinology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Verbal memory decline is common during menopause.
• Endogenous estrogens play a role in cognitive function.
• Understanding estrogen's impact on the postmenopausal brain is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine associations between endogenous estrogens (estradiol and estrone) and memory systems in the postmenopausal brain.
• To evaluate the clinical significance of these associations.
• To investigate the relationship between estrogen levels and brain network connectivity during verbal memory tasks.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 199 postmenopausal women (MsBrain cohort).
• Serum estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1) measured via LC-MS/MS.
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during verbal memory tasks (encoding and recognition).
• Association of brain activation with neuropsychological measures of memory, depression, and anxiety.

Main Results:

• Estradiol (E2) positively correlated with temporal and frontal cortex activation during encoding.
• Estrone (E1) associated with activation in bilateral superior temporal gyrus and right superior frontal gyrus during encoding.
• Brain activation in specific regions (e.g., left inferior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus) linked to memory performance, depression, and anxiety.
• No significant association found between E1 and memory performance.

Conclusions:

• Brain regions vital for memory function exhibit varying activity based on postmenopausal estrogen levels.
• Higher estradiol levels may enhance verbal memory encoding through improved temporal and frontal cortex function.
• Estrogen's influence on brain network connectivity is significant even at low postmenopausal levels.