Levels of estrogen receptors alpha and beta in frontal cortex of patients with Alzheimer's disease: relationship to Mini-Mental State Examination scores.

Estrogen exerts beneficial effects on the brain throughout life. Studies demonstrate that estrogen is neuroprotective and that reduced brain estrogen activity may influence the clinical course of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Changes in levels of estrogen receptors have been detected in postmortem brain tissue of AD patients.