The Role of Estrogen in Brain and Cognitive Aging

Abstract

There are 3 common physiological estrogens, of which estradiol (E2) is seen to decline rapidly over the menopausal transition. This decline in E2 has been associated with a number of changes in the brain, including cognitive changes, effects on sleep, and effects on mood. These effects have been demonstrated in both rodent and non-human preclinical models. Furthermore, E2 interactions have been indicated in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and depression. In normal brain aging, there are a number of systems that undergo changes and a number of these show interactions with E2, particularly the cholinergic system, the dopaminergic system, and mitochondrial function. E2 treatment has been shown to ameliorate some of the behavioral and morphological changes seen in preclinical models of menopause; however, in clinical populations, the effects of E2 treatment on cognitive changes after menopause are mixed. The future use of sex hormone treatment will likely focus on personalized or precision medicine for the prevention or treatment of cognitive disturbances during aging, with a better understanding of who may benefit from such treatment.

The Estrogen Component of Menopausal Hormone Therapy as a Preventive Strategy

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JAK2/STAT3 regulates estrogen-related senescence of bone marrow stem cells

“…Except for age, estrogen is also closely associated with cellular senescence and agerelated diseases. Estrogen has been proven to alleviate cardiovascular aging (Pedram et al 2010), skin aging (Wilkinson & Hardman 2017) and cognitive aging (Yue et al 2005, Russell et al 2019) via its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity. At the cellular level, estrogen reduces senescence of epithelial cells by increasing telomerase activity (Hardman & Hardman 2012).…”

Determinants of Quality of Life among Menopausal Market Women Traders in a South-Western Town, Nigeria

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