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Gender differences in cognitive function with age: the Rancho Bernardo study

E Barrett-Connor1, D Kritz-Silverstein

  • 1The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0607, USA.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|February 13, 1999
PubMed
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This study found no significant gender differences in age-related cognitive decline, suggesting estrogen deficiency may not cause memory loss in postmenopausal women. Cognitive function declined similarly in men and women across various tests.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Estrogen deficiency is hypothesized to cause memory loss in postmenopausal women.
  • This suggests men should experience less age-related memory loss than women.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of gender on age-related cognitive decline.
  • To examine the postulated role of estrogen in memory function.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 1351 participants (800 women, 551 men) aged 65-95.
  • Utilized the Beck Depression Inventory and 12 standardized cognitive function tests.
  • Ascertained and validated estrogen therapy use in women.

Main Results:

  • Cognitive performance declined with age in both sexes.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Men showed a steeper age-related decline than women in total recall, long-term memory, visual reproduction recall, and category fluency.
  • These gender differences persisted even when comparing men to women who never used estrogen.

    • Conclusions:

    • Observed weak or absent gender differences in cognitive decline do not support estrogen deficiency as a cause of cognitive decline in postmenopausal women.
    • The findings challenge the hypothesis that estrogen plays a critical role in mitigating age-related cognitive decline in women.