Role of Hormone Therapy in Perimenopausal Women on Enhanced Hippocampal Function and Memory in Later Life

    In this blog, I will be connecting a study conducted by Pauline Maki et al. entitled “Perimenopausal use of hormone therapy is associated with enhanced memory and hippocampal function later in life” with another study by Yuko Hara et al. entitled "Estrogen Effects on Cognitive and Synaptic Health over the Lifecourse." I will begin by explaining the hypotheses and findings of each study and then explain their implications as well as how they relate to one another and the field of neuroscience as a whole.

    In the study by Maki et al., researchers examined the effects of Hormone Therapy (HT) usage on the cognitive function and memory of women undergoing perimenopause and postmenopause. To conduct their experiment, the researchers studied 17 women in the perimenopausal stage who used HT continuously and 17 others in the perimenopausal stage who had never used HT. The results showed that perimenopausal women who were using HT continuously scored higher on tests for verbal imaging tasks and increased activation of the left hippocampus. Furthermore, those individuals who had used HT continuously performed better on image-based memory tasks, suggesting that continuous HT usage may correlate with increased verbal memory and cognition function.

    The study by Hara et al. sought to study the impact of Estrogen on cognitive functions and better synaptic health in later life. They studied these effects by examining clinical trials of women undergoing therapies for hormone replacement and how their cognitive symptoms were impacted. They also discussed summaries related to the effects of hormone replacement therapy in females going through menopause. The implications of the study are that hormone replacement therapy through Estrogen can have a beneficial impact on cognitive performance and synaptic health in later life for females experiencing menopause.

    Both studies demonstrate a correlation between hormone therapy and increased cognitive function and better performance on verbal imaging and memory-related tasks. The first study examined brain areas that were stimulated as a result of continuous dosage of hormone therapy which resulted in improved cognitive function, while the second study examined the role of hormone replacement therapy through Estrogen on cognitive performance and synaptic health for women experiencing menopause. Further research in this field is necessary to determine how hormone therapy can effect other areas of the brain and to what extent. Furthermore, the impact of dosage and duration of hormone therapy must also be further studied to maximize benefit for peri and post-menopausal women.