Sex Hormones, Sleep, and Memory: Interrelationships Across the Adult Female Lifespan

Abstract

As the population of older adults grows, so will the prevalence of aging-related conditions, including memory impairments and sleep disturbances, both of which are more common among women. Compared to older men, older women are up to twice as likely to experience sleep disturbances and are at a higher risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). These sex differences may be attributed in part to fluctuations in levels of female sex hormones (i.e., estrogen and progesterone) that occur across the adult female lifespan. Though women tend to experience the most significant sleep and memory problems during the peri-menopausal period, changes in memory and sleep have also been observed across the menstrual cycle and during pregnancy. Here, we review current knowledge on the interrelationships among female sex hormones, sleep, and memory across the female lifespan, propose possible mediating and moderating mechanisms linking these variables and describe implications for ADRD risk in later life.

Restraint stress induced anxiety and sleep in mice

“…Furthermore, women have a significantly greater risk of sleep disorders than men, especially with increasing age ( 71 ). The high prevalence of anxiety and sleep disorders in women may be due to hormonal changes during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause ( 72 , 73 ). However, only male mice were used in the present study, which might be a limitation of our study.…”

Co-exposure to Aluminium and Cadmium Mediates Postpartum Maternal Variation in Brain Architecture and Behaviour of Mice; Involvement of Oxido-nitrergic and Cholinergic Mechanisms

“…The non-signi cant differences in the memory index are not in tandem with previous reports which noted that aluminium and cadmium signi cantly impaired spatial memory in mice and rats [44,21,45]. The possible reason of non-signi cant differences observed may be likened to interference in postpartum hormonal balance as alterations in different sex hormones is said to signi cantly impact learning and ability to think and recall [46,47]. Results relative to the social interaction de cit observed in Al, Cd and the co-exposure groups are in tandem with previous reports related to Al and Cd on their ability to reduce the social interaction index of animals [48,49].…”

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and learning and memory deficits in Neuroinflammatory diseases

“…In addition, we may consider non-synaptic transmission, glial cells such as the astrocytes, the extracellular space organization, and volume transmission ( Vargova and Sykova, 2014 ). Similarly, other actors such as non-synaptic receptors ( Vizi et al, 2010 ) metal ions ( Chang, 2017 ), lipids ( Wan et al, 2020 ), nucleic acid ( Shao et al, 2020 ; Jana et al, 2023 ), and hormones ( Hsu et al, 2021 ; Ghosh-Swaby et al, 2022 ; Harrington et al, 2022 ; Krinke et al, 2022 ; Su et al, 2022 ; Szczurowska et al, 2022 ; Wu et al, 2022 ; Zhang et al, 2022 ; Zhu D. et al, 2022 ; Kling et al, 2023 ; Lacasse et al, 2023 ) that simultaneously influence the brain response to external stimuli as well as internal abstract conceptualizations, to generate new or modified memories or ideas.…”