Menopausal Hormone Therapy Helps Hold The Brain
Friday, June 20, 2014
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Taking menopausal hormone therapy before long after menopause to salve symptoms may also produce goodness the brain, according to a study published inwards the March 21, 2018, online number of Neurology®, the medical mag of the American Academy of Neurology.
"We flora that ane shape of menopausal hormone therapy taken before long after menopause may save encephalon construction inwards the percentage of the encephalon responsible for retentiveness as well as thinking skills," said study writer Kejal Kantarci, MD, MS, of the Mayo Clinic inwards Rochester, Minn., as well as a fellow member of the American Academy of Neurology. "It may also cut down the evolution of amyloid plaques that tin dismiss cook upward as well as Pb to retentiveness loss."
For the study, researchers identified 75 good for you lot women amongst an average historic menstruum of 53 who were betwixt 5 months to 3 years by menopause. Of those, xx women took conjugated equine estrogen inwards pill form, 22 received estradiol via peel patches as well as 33 received a placebo of either the pills or patches. In addition, the women taking active hormone were also given progesterone pills for the starting fourth dimension 12 days each month. Placebo pills were given to those inwards the placebo group.
Study participants were given retentiveness as well as thinking tests every bit good every bit MRI scans at the start out of the study, at xviii months, at 3 years as well as at the halt of 4 years of hormone treatment, as well as and then over again 3 years after therapy ended. Researchers measured overall encephalon book as well as the accumulation of encephalon lesions as well as compared scores on thinking as well as retentiveness tests. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 full of 68 women also had positron emission tomography (PET) scans to discovery plaques inwards the encephalon that are related to retentiveness loss as well as Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers flora that participants who took estradiol via peel patches maintained encephalon book inwards the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an expanse of the encephalon that assists amongst memory, thinking, planning as well as reasoning, over the 7 years of the study. Women who maintained book inwards this expanse of the encephalon were also to a greater extent than probable to create got a lower total of the amyloid plaque deposits that are related to retentiveness loss as well as Alzheimer's disease. This suggests that estradiol therapy may create got long-term effects on the brain.
Researchers also flora that for those taking estrogen pills, at that spot were greater structural changes inwards the encephalon during therapy, but those changes stopped when participants stopped taking the pills.
Scores on thinking as well as retentiveness tests were similar for women inwards the hormone therapy groups as well as those taking placebo.
"More question is needed to create upward one's hear the biological reasons behind encephalon changes during menopausal hormone therapy," said Kantarci. "Future question is also request to amend define but how the dissimilar hormonal products, pills versus peel patches, comport on the brain."
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 limitation of the study is that the women were all inwards adept cardiovascular health, thus the results may non hold upward similar for those amongst catch problems, diabetes or other wellness issues. However, Kantarci noted that non including those amongst catch issues may create got made it easier to abide by the effects of hormone therapy on the brain, since at that spot was no interference from contributing catch problems.