Estrogen deficiency caused by natural or surgical menopause yields changes that can have far reaching consequences on human health and well-being. Postmenopausal women show alterations in cognitive function that are thought to be attributable to estrogen loss. However, determining the relationship between estrogen states and cognitive function can be difficult to study in women for a variety of reasons. To circumvent these difficulties, the investigator has examined the effects of surgically-induced menopause in young monkeys. Loss of estrogen, independent of the effects of aging, can cause decrements in cognitive processing. However, because the average age at which women experience menopause is 50 years, the next step is to determine whether the interactive effects of age and estrogen loss are more deleterious to cognitive abilities than estrogen alone. The purpose of this project is to determine the relationship between estrogen states and cognitive function in middle-aged rhesus monkeys. Estrogen levels will be manipulated through ovariectomy and estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). This study will extend the initial behavioral investigations conducted in young female monkeys to middle- aged female monkeys and determine if the ovariectomized middle-aged female monkey is an appropriate animal model of the middle-aged postmenopausal woman.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AG019100-02
Application #
6372550
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BBBP-1 (01))
Program Officer
Monjan, Andrew A
Project Start
2000-09-30
Project End
2004-08-31
Budget Start
2001-09-01
Budget End
2002-08-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$247,944
Indirect Cost
Name
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Department
Anatomy/Cell Biology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
937727907
City
Winston-Salem
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27157
Bethea, Cynthia L; Kohama, Steven G; Reddy, Arubala P et al. (2016) Ovarian steroids regulate gene expression in the dorsal raphe of old female macaques. Neurobiol Aging 37:179-191
Kohama, Steven G; Renner, Lauren; Landauer, Noelle et al. (2016) Effect of Ovarian Hormone Therapy on Cognition in the Aged Female Rhesus Macaque. J Neurosci 36:10416-10424
Eghlidi, Dominique H; Urbanski, Henryk F (2015) Effects of Age and Estradiol on Gene Expression in the Rhesus Macaque Hypothalamus. Neuroendocrinology 101:236-45
Haley, G E; Landauer, N; Renner, L et al. (2009) Circadian activity associated with spatial learning and memory in aging rhesus monkeys. Exp Neurol 217:55-62
Downs, Jodi L; Urbanski, Henryk F (2006) Neuroendocrine changes in the aging reproductive axis of female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Biol Reprod 75:539-46
Downs, Jodi L; Urbanski, Henryk F (2006) Aging-related sex-dependent loss of the circulating leptin 24-h rhythm in the rhesus monkey. J Endocrinol 190:117-27
Densmore, V S; Urbanski, H F (2004) Effect of 17beta-estradiol on hypothalamic GnRH-II gene expression in the female rhesus macaque. J Mol Endocrinol 33:145-53
Densmore, Valerie S; Urbanski, Henryk F (2003) Relative effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-I and GnRH-II on gonadotropin release. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88:2126-34
Olcese, J; Domagalski, R; Bednorz, A et al. (2003) Expression and regulation of mPer1 in immortalized GnRH neurons. Neuroreport 14:613-8