Thyroid hormones and cognitive functioning in healthy, euthyroid women: a correlational study.

Thyroid hormones (THs) play a critical role in differentiation, growth, and metabolism of animal and human organ systems, including the brain. Although associations between normal levels of THs and cognitive functions in healthy elderly individuals have been reported, the findings are inconsistent, possibly due to differences in study designs. Because thyroid disease occurs more frequently in women, the goal of the present study was to examine the relationship between levels of THs and performance on neuropsychological tests in 122 healthy, euthyroid women whose mean age was 51 years.

Differential effects of estrogen and micronized progesterone or medroxyprogesterone acetate on cognition in postmenopausal women.

Objective: To investigate possible differential effects of the coadministration of conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) and a placebo (CEE + PL), CEE and medroxyprogesterone acetate (CEE + MPA), or CEE and micronized P (CEE + MP) on aspects of cognitive functioning in naturally postmenopausal women.

Design: Double-blind, randomized, controlled trial.

Setting: Gynecologic screening occurred at a university hospital, and neuropsychological testing took place in a university laboratory.

Role of psychiatric comorbidity on cognitive function during and after the menopausal transition.

While cognitive complaints are common during the menopausal transition, measurable cognitive decline occurs infrequently, often due to underlying psychiatric or neurological disease. To clarify the nature, etiology and evidence for cognitive and memory complaints during midlife, at the time of the menopausal transition, we have critically reviewed the evidence for impairments in memory and cognition associated with common comorbid psychiatric conditions, focusing on mood and anxiety disorders, attention-deficit disorder, prolonged stress and decreased quantity or quality of sleep. Both the evidence for a primary effect of menopause on cognitive function and contrarily the effect of cognition on the menopausal transition are examined.

Effects of treatment with leuprolide acetate depot on working memory and executive functions in young premenopausal women.

The goal of this study was to assess the influence of sex steroid hormone suppression on performance on tests of prefrontal cortex (PFC) and working memory function (WM) in premenopausal women. Twenty-five women were treated with leuprolide acetate depot (LAD), a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) analog that chemically suppressed ovarian function as treatment of various benign gynecologic disorders. Performance on tests of PFC and WM of the LAD-treated women was assessed at pretreatment baseline and, again, following 4 weeks of treatment and their performance was compared to that of 25 healthy, control participants matched on age, education, and general intelligence.