Oestrogen and cognitive function throughout the female lifespan.

Abstract

Evidence that oestrogen helps to maintain verbal memory in women comes from several sources. Studies that have tested cognitive functioning at different phases of the menstrual cycle have found few differences, perhaps because oestrogen levels are sufficiently high, albeit variable, during all cycle phases. Experimental studies in postmenopausal women have generally found a protective effect of oestrogen, specifically on verbal memory. Results of several large, longitudinal studies that have become available recently have also demonstrated that women who were oestrogen users performed better on certain tests of cognitive function than non-users of similar age. On the basis of this body of evidence, it is possible to conclude that oestrogen may attenuate or prevent the decline in aspects of memory that occur with normal ageing in women.